Be My Escape
by BornThisWay
Summary: Shane McMahon's last name has afforded him many luxuries; one of which is bedding a multitude of Divas. Melina Perez refuses to rest on her laurels and use others to achieve what she wants. Two very different worlds are about to collide.
1. Chapter 1

This story is dedicated to FormerlyKnownasJackie who motivated me to return to writing wrestling fiction after a two year absence. This storyline is her idea, I just fleshed it out and inserted some extra players to the game.

I just hope it lives up to her expectations! Jackie, I'm so sorry I kept you waiting.

Still carrying a bit of ring rust.

I own nothing you may recognise. The lyrics below belong to Reliant K.

* * *

_I am a hostage to my own humanity_

_Self detained and forced to live in this mess I've made_

_And all I'm asking is for You to do what You can with me_

_But I can't ask You to give what You already gave_

_

* * *

_

Melina Perez had just finished unpacking her bag for the evening when her phone began to vibrate.

"_Coffee?"_

Before she could stop herself, an excited squeal ripped through the locker room. Shoving her feet into her shoes, she shoved the keys to her rental into her locker, pocketed her phone and her wallet and dashed to the door. She had one hand on the doorknob and a foot out the door before she was stopped in her tracks.

"Going somewhere?"

Spinning around, Melina nearly tripped over her own feet. "Shit! John, you scared me."

He smirked, a look of mock disapproval written on his face. "You forgot I was even here, didn't you?"

Melina flushed bright red as her boyfriend John Hennigan teased her jokingly. "No, I knew you were there. I just received this super important text message …" she trailed off. "What on earth are you doing down there?"

"Stretching," he informed her with a roll of his eyes. "I thought I would get a work out in before tonight's match." Climbing to his feet he moved across the room to take Melina in his arms. "Hi."

"Hi," she replied with a grin, laying her head against his chest. "Nervous?"

"About tonight? Nah." Tilting her head upward he cupped her cheek, calloused fingers brushing over soft skin. "We've been here before. Well, Johnny Nitro has. Smackdown isn't going to know what hit it when John Morrison enters that ring."

"Someone's cocky," Melina teased.

"Not cocky," he corrected her. "Just confident."

He kissed her forehead before leaning down to press his lips to hers. She responded with fervour, eager to connect with him. John's hands wound their way into her hair as she stood on tip toe to gain better access. Even though they had been apart for almost two years before getting back together, the same passion that had been present the very first time they had kissed remained. Unlocking her arms from around his waist she took a tiny step back, brushing his hair off of his face.

God, she loved him.

"I'll let you get back to stretching."

"It can wait … No, it can't," he sighed checking his watch for the time. The former Women's Champion laughed as John pouted, imitating Melina's signature puppy dog eyes that always appeared when she wanted something. "I take it that was Glen on the phone?"

Melina nodded, a wide smile spreading across her face. "It was."

"And I suppose the two of you are sneaking off to catering to drink disgusting coffee and gossip like old women?"

"Hey!" She protested with a stomp of her foot. "We do not gossip like old women!"

"No?" John raised an eyebrow, folding his arms smugly. "Well what would you call it?"

Melina scowled, knowing she was beaten. "Catching up?"

"Nice try," the former ECW Champion grinned. "Will I see you before my match?"

"I'll be here," she promised. Bouncing on the balls of her feet she kissed John on the cheek before flying out the door. 'Love you!"

The door slammed behind her, dulling the sound of John's goodbye. "Love you too."

Pulling her phone from her pocket Melina quickly tapped out a message. Her fingers flew across the keys as she hustled down the corridor and into the banquet hall, knocking over a crew member in the process. Scanning the room quickly she made a beeline for the far corner. "Glen!"

Glen Jacobs towered over the young Diva as he rose in his seat. "Melina."

The WWE's resident monster and self-professed A-List Diva attracted plenty of attention as she launched herself into the arms of one of her best friends. Glen was already in character, his Kane make-up intimidating to most - but not to the young woman who saw through his brutish appearance to the warm reserved personality inside. Chuckling, he released her gingerly to re-take his seat.

"God, it is so good to see you!" She exclaimed. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you," he responded fondly. "It's been months."

"Yeah, well, you know," Melina waved her hand airily. "I've been busy. Working, sleeping, being injured," she frowned. "And when I was around, you never were. How's your wife? The girls?"

"They're good. The girls miss you, of course." Glen added, rolling his eyes. "I swear, they meet you one time and then suddenly you're all they can talk about."

Melina took a sip of the latte Glen had waiting for her before setting it down with a smile. "I tend to have that effect on people," she joked. "That's why you're still here isn't it?"

Glen laughed, his voice seemingly booming throughout the room. "That, and you tend to know anything and everything about anyone and everyone."

An hour later, Melina was on her second latte as Glen gave a detailed description of the car he and his step-daughter were restoring so that she could drive it once she got her licence. What he hadn't failed to mention was the seventeen year old Junior who has trying to court her. He clearly didn't approve.

"You have to let her go eventually," Melina interjected. "She's fifteen Glen. I know that she isn't grown up by any means, but she's a beautiful young lady and she is mature enough to make her own decisions."

Glen groaned. "You sound like her mother."

"I had the same problem with my mother when I was younger, believe me. The sooner she let me make decisions for myself the better in my opinion," she explained dryly. "I mean, I made plenty of mistakes with relationships and look where I am now. Dave and I clearly weren't compatible but I know now that John-"

The Diva was cut off by an announcement over the loud speaker, effectively silencing them both. Glen sighed heavily. There was something that had been weighing on his mind recently and he while he knew that he should keep his opinions to himself on this particular subject ... He just couldn't help himself.

"So the rumours are true then."

Melina cringed inwardly, raising an eyebrow. "Rumours?"

"You and John?" He pressed. "Together again?"

Squirming in her seat, Melina bit back a sharp retort. Yes, Glen was one of her best friends. Yes, he had been there for her when John and she had first split. Yes, she appreciated everything he had done for her then and she still did now. She was grateful for the countless hours he had spent in the ring with her, working on her technique. Yet Glen had never approved of her relationship with John and it had always been a sore spot between them. She understood he was just being protective, she did. In many ways, he was the big brother she had never had.

The annoying over-protective brother that never let her have a moments peace.

"John loves me." She answered simply.

"I love you," Glen interrupted her.

Tilting her head to the side Melina rolled her eyes. Yeah, because the love he had for her was definitely comparable to the love John had for her. "He's IN love with me. Just like I am in love with him," she replied calmly as Glen scowled. "I can't help who I fall in love with you know."

"He's a womaniser Mel. I saw the amount of girls he attempted to score with during his days at ECW. His hotel room might as well have had a revolving door," Glen answered flatly. "Ring rats, Diva Search wannabes, you name it."

Gritting her teeth Melina tried desperately to control her temper. "Glen, please. John and I weren't even together then. What he did was none of my business."

"But you were still friends during that time. You were completely honest with him regarding Batista weren't you?" Glen challenged. "Why didn't he afford you the same courtesy?"

"I never asked," she snapped. "It was none of my business and I didn't want to know about any former conquests he might have had! Just drop it! It's none of your business either Glen."

"It IS my business Melina. I don't like him. Better yet, I don't like him when he's with you. I don't trust him around you."

Her vision blurred as she struggled to keep the tears at bay. "Luckily, it's not your decision to make. You shouldn't have to worry about trusting him!" She growled. "You should be able to trust me! Trust me enough to know that I trust John and love him and that that should be all that matters!"

"Look, Mel, I'm not questioning your love for each other-"

Grabbing her phone and her wallet she jumped angrily to her feet. Her chair flew backwards and landed with a bang as she bawled her fists into her eyes. "Then what is this about?! John isn't that guy anymore. He's never been anything but faithful to me!"

Glen winced as Melina's screech reverberated around the catering hall. "-it's just that I've seen the way he acts when you're not around and-"

"Shut. Up." Melina seethed. "Don't you dare say another word. I love you like a brother and I respect you and everything you've ever done for me. But don't think for a second that you can control any aspect of my life _or_ my relationship. If it came down to you or John, you should know I would choose him in a heartbeat. I refuse to listen to this any longer. Goodbye Glen."

"Melina," Glen held up his hands in surrender. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything-"

"I said, GOODBYE Glen."

Spinning on her heel, the WWE's Most Dominant Diva took a deep breath and stormed out of catering. It was only when she had turned a corner that she allowed her tears to flow freely. She couldn't help but think that to an extent, Glen had been right. She didn't know about any of John's romantic interludes while they had been apart. As far as she was concerned, they were non-existent. What mattered to her, is that they were back together now; and in her opinion, that was the way things were going to stay. She couldn't believe Glen had questioned her judgement.

Closing her eyes, Melina leaned against a wall and slid to sit on the floor.

This wasn't exactly how she had envisioned her big return to Smackdown to go.

"Melina. Are you okay?"

Melina opened her eyes to see Shane McMahon standing above her, looking concerned. Immediately she began to scramble to her feet, wary of appearing unprofessional in front of her new boss. He waved away her effort with a smile, inching closer ."Hi Shane," Melina mustered a forced smile, hurriedly wiping away her tears. "I'm just feeling a little bit overwhelmed. Everything's fine."

"Can I do anything?" The Chairman's son asked as crouched down before her. "I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable for any reason, especially on your first night here."

She instantly felt at unease with someone in her personal space. "No!"

Shane raised an eyebrow. "No?"

"I mean, no, thank you Shane," Melina recovered her manners quickly. "I'm sorry if I seem abrupt. It's been a long afternoon and I'm just excited for the show tonight."

"That's right," he mused. "I heard you caused quite a stir in catering not ten minutes ago."

Her skin flushed a brilliant red. "I had a difference of opinion with an old friend. I never meant to make a scene. Again, I apologise."

Shane shot her a sympathetic look before proceeding to grab her hand and place it tightly between both of his. "Melina. Honey, look at me." The former Woman's Champion blanched and attempted to wrench back her hand. Nonplussed, Shane took the opportunity to tighten his grip and send her a charming smile. _Honey? _"I don't want you to feel like you're not allowed to express your opinion here. You are a rising star in this company and I want you to know that if you need anything, _anything_ at all - that you can approach me at any time."

"Anything?" She echoed doubtfully, unsure of why he was being so … nice. It didn't help that his reputation as somewhat of a womanizer preceded him.

"Anything," Shane repeated. "Say ... Say for example you believe you deserve some more screen time. Perhaps you have an idea for a storyline or you think you deserve a title shot," he winked. "I'm sure that I can find a way to make that happen for you."

Melina smiled politely at Shane as she finally managed to remove her hand from his. _And there it is_. She had been in this business long enough to know when someone was being insincere and Shane was setting her radar off. _I'm sure we could figure something out_, she thought sardonically. _I see how it is. I've always wondered how Michelle kept the belt for so long. And now it all makes sense. _"Thank you," she choked out. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Fantastic!" Shane clapped his hands as he rose to his feet. Without asking, he again took Melina's hand and pulled her into a standing hug. As quickly as she was able she withdrew she pulled back and unconsciously straightened her shirt, wiping her hands as she went. A chill ran down her spine as she mumbled a quick good bye and she turned to stalk off for the second time that day. She was halfway down the hall when Shane spoke again. "Oh Melina?"

Melina rolled her eyes as she turned to face him. "Yes, Shane?"

"I hear you and Mr Hennigan are once again involved." Shane's cheerful demeanour was suddenly replaced with a stony expression., the Chairman's son practically spitting out his statement. "I trust this relationship won't have a negative effect on your work or your level of professionalism while you are on the clock," he commented darkly. "Is this correct?"

Melina bristled at the insinuation that she would allow her personal life to infringe upon her career. "I assure you Shane, that I will leave my personal life at the door when I arrive at the building. Not that I believe it's any of your business."

"Good." Shane replied, his eyes ablaze. "Please ensure John does the same."

Her face soured. "I'll be sure to do that."

"I'd appreciate it," Shane said flatly. "You might have had the run of the locker room on Raw, but we do things differently on Smackdown. Everything is run through me. This is my show."

Melina was incensed by this point. "Look, Shane, I don't know what you think you've heard-"

Shane ignored her, seemingly fixated on something behind her. "Michelle!" He called out as Melina stopped mid-sentence. She half-turned, seeing Michelle McCool and Layla turning around the corner. "Honey, how are you?"

"The hell?" Melina's jaw dropped. In the space of a minute, Shane's personality had once again done a complete one eighty. Concern, sympathy, complete aggravation … happiness. "Shane, I was talking to you."

"Sorry," he remarked offhandedly as he breezed past her. "You know how it is, places to see and people to do!"

She looked on in open mouthed astonishment as he came up behind the two girls and flung an arm around each of their shoulders. Layla giggled, Shane's hand slipping down to rest on the small of her back. "I am so hoping that was a Freudian slip. Gross."

"What's gross?"

"Huh?" Melina glanced sideways. "Oh. Hey Chris."

"Perez," Chris Jericho, or rather, Chris Irvine nodded in greeting from behind his sunglasses. "How's it going?" The scowl on her face answered his question. "What crawled up your arse and died?"

Melina hesitated, unsure if she could trust him not to run his mouth the second she turned around. "You know the McMahon's pretty well, right?"

"Sure," he agreed easily. "Stephanie, Vince and Linda anyway. Never have gotten along with Shane."

"If only I had that problem." she muttered under her breath. "Never mind."

"… Has something happened Melina?" Chris asked surreptitiously. "Did Shane try something?"

"What? No," she lied through her teeth. The last thing she needed was word getting out that she had been here five minutes and was complaining already. "It's nothing," she added. "Just my imagination."

Studying her intently, Chris didn't believe her story for a second. "Okay," he shrugged, making a mental note to keep an eye on the issue. "Whatever. Your boy was looking for you by the way. He's about to head out."

The second those words left Chris's mouth, John's entrance music began to blast throughout the building. "Shit," she swore. "I didn't realise it was so late."

"Come on,." Chris sighed, acting as if he was doing her a big favour. "I'm heading out next. You can watch from the monitors in the Gorilla."

"Great," she sighed, rubbing her temples. "I mean, that'd be great Chris. Thanks."

"Are you sure you're okay?" He looked at her oddly. "You're usually so … calm."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Today was a complete write-off. Moving to Smackdown was meant to have been a fresh start for her. Correction, both her and John.

So far, it had been nothing but trouble.

She had promised herself that this time things would be different.

She had sworn to herself that she would do everything in her power to make her relationship work, to make her career a priority and to make the right decisions.

She wanted to be happy.

Clenching her fists she tried vehemently to keep her tears at bay.

Why did these things always have to happen to _her_?!

* * *

Please Review.

The person who recognises which line I've pulled from an old MNM promo and inserted randomly into this chapter gets a virtual cupcake.

My treat!


	2. Chapter 2

I apologise to any Layla fans reading this story. I personally don't like her and needed a Diva to act as a scapegoat.

Sorry for the delay. I really appreciate the feedback!

Deidarakiller gets a virtual cupcake for catching the hidden MNM reference. NJ would get one but she didn't review!

I own nothing you recognise but this plot belongs to FormerlyKnownAsJackie - I just tweaked it to my liking.

* * *

_Cause I've been housing all this doubt and insecurity and _

_I've been locked inside that house all the while You hold the key_

_And I've been dying to get out and that might be the death of me_

_

* * *

_

Layla El knocked on the door to Shane McMahon's office, dressed in a mini skirt and tank top. Her hair was back, make up on, all ready for tonight's Smackdown tapings. Thank God the girls in make-up had been able to cover up the massive hickey Shane had left on her neck two nights ago. She didn't know how she would have explained that to Michelle and the others otherwise.

"Come in, Layla."

Stepping inside Shane's office, the former cheerleader smiled brightly. "Hi Shane. Vickie said you wanted to see me?"

Shane nodded, unabashedly checking out the Diva before him from head to toe. A sly grin spread across his face when he saw just how short her skirt was, picturing himself in between her creamy thighs. "I did. How do you feel about winning the Women's Championship in a couple of weeks?"

Layla's jaw dropped, her eyes widening. "You're kidding."

Shaking his head, the Chairman's son stood in his seat and moved around to lean in front of his desk. "I'm not. I've been talking to Vince and he's agreed that it's time we let some of the greener female competitors have their turn in the spotlight. Michelle has held that belt for a long time now. Don't you think you deserve a shot?"

Her brow furrowed, obviously thinking his words over. "But what about Melina? She only arrived a few weeks ago and she's definitely the most talented Diva here on Smackdown. Shouldn't she get the belt? I don't know if I'm ready to hold that title Shane."

Shane's eyes darkened infinitesimally at the mention of Melina's name. Yes, Melina did probably deserve the belt over Layla. Yet until she opened her eyes and dropped that deadbeat Hennigan to the curb and Shane got what he wanted? He'd do whatever the hell he liked with that damn title. "Never you mind Melina Layla. This is about you taking advantage of the opportunity I'm presenting you with. Sometimes to get ahead in this business you have to be selfish. Tell me, do you think my sister Stephanie was ready to hold the Women's Championship when she first won it? No. But she jumped at the chance anyway."

"I guess …" Layla said slowly. Shane did have a point. She was sick of Michelle holding the belt and being cast as her lackey. She had been here for a few years now. If she didn't take Shane up on his offer now, who knew when she would be considered for the title again. "What do I need to do?"

He smirked, uncrossing his legs and folding his arms as he thrust out his hips slightly. There was a prominent bulge in the front of his pants, Layla's eyes automatically following his own line of sight as he preened, presenting himself. "Now Layla, you couldn't tell anyone about this. Do you understand? If every girl on the roster knew about our … special friendship … they would all be in here, jockeying for position. You don't want that now, do you?"

She licked her lips unconsciously, taking a hesitant step forward. "You want me to … help you out?" She asked with a discrete nod in the direction of his groin. "I don't know if I feel comfortable with that Shane," Layla replied cautiously. "I'd be sleeping with the boss to get ahead…"

Shane's eyes widened.

"No Layla!" Shaking his head with fake sincerity he stepped forward to take her hand. "You make it sound like I'm trying to take advantage of you! It's not like that, I swear. I would never use my position to ask you to compromise yourself for a shot at the title," he lied through his teeth. "It'd be more like … friends with benefits. You help me … and I'll see how I can benefit you. Come on," he urged her. "How else do you think Michelle has had that belt for so long? Surely her relationship with Taker has something to do with that, don't you think?"

That was all it took.

_Bingo._

Twenty minutes later Layla adjusted her skirt as she prepared to exit Shane's office. He was back behind his desk, casually filing some completed paperwork as if nothing that happened. "Oh Lay?"

The Diva Search winner paused in the doorway. "Yes Shane?"

Checking his watch, Shane set down the file he was holding. "Can you do me a favour sweetie? I need to see Maria before the show starts. Can you tell her to come by in about an hour please?"

_Maria? _Layla frowned. "Okay."

"Thanks doll. I'll see you tonight. You can pick up the extra room key from reception when you get to the hotel," Shane explained. "How about I order us some champagne to celebrate our new understanding?"

At the mention of spending the night with the bosses son her face perked right back up. "That sounds great!"

Shane smirked, intent on having Maria on her knees before he had to step out into the ring.

"Somehow I knew you'd say that."

"_One, two, three_."

The crowd chanted in unison with the referee, breaking into a chorus of cheers as Melina successfully pinned Michelle McCool for the second consecutive week. Standing, she allowed Chad Patton to raise her hand as Tony Chimel reached for his microphone to announce her as the winner.

"The winner of this match as a result of pinfall … Melina!"

Michelle rolled out of the ring as Melina posed for the fans on the corner turnbuckles before slipping out of the ring herself and heading up the ramp. It had been two months since her return to the blue brand and her fight with Glen in catering. He'd tried to make things right with her on more than one occasion yet she wouldn't have a bar of it. He had no right to question her relationship with John.

John.

Melina sighed happily as she entered the Gorilla, unable to keep a smile from her face at the thought of her boyfriend.

"Hey," Michelle stepped forward to shake Melina's hand. "Good match."

Surprised, Melina stuck out her hand. Since she had arrived on the show she had mainly kept to herself, not interested in getting involved with the rest of the women and whatever drama they had going on with Shane. She hadn't spoken to him since her arrival yet that didn't mean she hadn't noticed him lurking in the background while she moved around backstage at shows. His behaviour was bordering on blatant stalking at this point. "Thanks."

"I know you work out mainly with John and the guys," Michelle continued, her southern twang sounding slightly out of place to the California native. "But, ah. I just wanted to say that you're welcome to join me in the gym if you want. I usually try and spend some time in the ring before tapings too. I'd love you to get your opinion on a couple of moves if you don't mind."

"I'd be honoured," Melina heard herself saying, slightly tickled that she was being approached to offer her opinion to one of the newer talents. _Maybe things on Smackdown wouldn't be so bad after all_. "Um, I have to head out now, but I'll see you later to organise a time?"

Michelle nodded, feeling quite pleased with herself. Getting Melina's opinion would be a real asset to her arsenal. Getting Melina onside so that she could keep her title would be even better. "Thanks Melina. I really appreciate it."

Melina nodded and exited quietly, determined to see John before he headed out to the ring this week. He had been upset that she hadn't been able to wish him good luck for his debut yet he had understood she was gotten caught up talking to Glen and then Chris. Their relationship was still under a slight strain following their reconciliation and it didn't take much for them to be at each others throats. They were both passionate people; it was part of the reason they connected so well. That didn't mean their devotion to each other didn't cause problems.

She hadn't dared tell him about Shane.

God knows what he would think upon hearing that.

Pushing open the door to John's locker room she was surprised to see him talking to one of the stagehands, the blonde woman laying her hand on John's arm as she showed him whatever was on her clipboard. _What was she doing in here_? Glen's words of warning echoed through her mind: _His hotel room might as well have had a revolving door … Ring rats, Diva Search wannabes, you name it. _Clearing her throat, she stepped directly into John's line of vision. "Hey."

John's face lit up as he heard his girlfriend's voice. He was shirtless, already in his tights and coat ready to head out to the ring. "Hey Mel."

"What's she doing here?" Melina asked bluntly, cutting directly to the chase.

The blond woman withdrew her hand quickly, as if she had been burnt. "I should go."

Melina glared in her direction. "Yeah, you should."

"Melina," John sighed as the woman hurried to the exit, door slamming behind her. "That was Abby. She was just here to give me the specifics for my match tonight."

"Did she have to be touching you while she was doing it?"

"What? She wasn't-"

"Yes, she was," Melina fumed as she ran her hands through her hair, another nuance she had picked up from John when she was stressed. "She had her hand on your arm. How could you not notice? She was hanging all over you."

"She was not hanging all over me," John rolled his eyes. He understood that Melina had been upset recently following her fight with Glen but she had no need to be threatened by a stage hand of all things. "What's really on your mind Melina? Talk to me."

Melina scowled, flopping down on the bench with a thud. "I don't want to talk about it."

Sitting down beside her John rested his hand on her knee. "Melina. Come on."

Running her hands through her hair once more Melina closed her eyes. Here goes nothing. "When we were … separated," she began hesitantly. "You saw other people, right?"

John stiffened, realising where she was going with this. "Yes. You know I did. I'm not exactly proud of it either. Why?"

"Someone said something," she sighed. "In catering. It wasn't exactly complimentary."

"I see," John said slowly. "What did Glen say?"

"I never said it was Glen, John."

"Yet you're not denying it either," he pointed out. "I know the two of you are fighting. He said something about me to upset you, didn't he?" When she didn't reply, he pressed on. "Glen is probably justified in saying whatever he said. There were times when I brought girls back to my room," John said shamefully. "Yes, girls. But that doesn't mean I slept with them all. Hell, I didn't even sleep with half of them. I was single Melina. I had no obligation to anyone and I enjoyed myself. Did you expect me to be celibate while you were with Dave? I wasn't and there's no shame in that. In saying that, I made a lot of mistakes and I can admit that."

Melina's voice was barely above a whisper. "What about now?"

"What about now?" John echoed, a tad offended. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"You haven't …" She gestured awkwardly, not wanting to directly accuse him of being unfaithful.

"No," John almost growled, slightly wounded. "How could you even think that Mel? I'm yours. There is no one else! I swear to you, I have never cheated on you and I never will. There is a massive difference between then and now - I was single. Now, I'm one hundred and fifty per cent committed to you. To _us_."

"I know."

"Do you really?" John objected impatiently. "Have I given you a reason to doubt me?"

"No, you haven't," Melina breathed, placing her hand on top of his on her leg. "I'm sorry. I overreacted."

"Yeah, you did," he mumbled, looking slightly put out.

Removing her hand from his she turned his hand palm side up. Lacing their fingers together she gave his hand a quick squeeze, silently asking if they were okay. Nervous moments passed before he squeezed back, both breathing an audible sigh of relief.

"I gotta head out to the ring," he muttered. "Walk me?"

Melina glanced downward, realising she still hadn't gotten changed. "Sure."

Grabbing one of John's hoodies she shrugged it on over her ring attire and lead him to the door. Standing on her toes she pressed her lips to his cheek as they exited, John shooting her a small smile. "Thanks."

Together they wandered down the hall toward the Gorilla, John nodding at various people they passed.

"Hey," Melina said suddenly. "What match specifics?"

"Well," John replied thoughtfully. "If I told you … I'd have to kill you."

She stuck out her tongue, shoving him to the side as he laughed. "You're not funny."

"Am too," he retorted childishly. "There's Rey. Are you gonna wait here?"

Nodding, she let go of his hand. "Good luck."

"Luck?" He scoffed teasingly. "Luck has nothing to do with it."

Melina watched John greet Rey with some sort of complicated handshake they had created, laughing at how stupid two grown men looked acting like twelve year olds. A throat cleared behind her, a large shadow falling across the floor.

"Can we talk?"

Melina turned on her heel, nose in the air. "Glen Jacobs, I have nothing to say to you."

Glen rolled his eyes. "Melina, give it up. It's been two months already. How long do you plan on staying angry at me?"

"As long as it takes," she folded her arms. "I'm still waiting for an apology."

"I've been trying to apologise to you since the day we fought," he replied in his gravely tone. "I said I was sorry."

Melina turned back around to face the monitor so she could watch John's match. "For what?"

"For not trusting you," Glen replied gruffly. "For doubting your decision to get back together with John. I shouldn't have said anything. It's your relationship and John is your boyfriend. If you love him and he loves you … then I guess I can respect that."

"Damn right you can," Melina replied without even taking her eyes off the screen for a second. "I accept your apology." Glen opened his mouth to speak as she lifted her hand to silence him. "I'm not finished. I accept your apology - on one condition."

Glen groaned, instantly knowing what she was referring too. "Do I have too?"

"Yes," she snapped. "You owe John an apology. He's important to me which means by default he's important to you too."

Grumbling, he came to stand beside her. "Fine. But only because you're making me."

Taking her eyes away from the screen Melina glanced at Glen. She honestly had missed him. That didn't mean she was about to forgive him completely. "You love it."

"Oh shut up Perez," he shot back good naturedly, glad to be back in her good books at the very least. "You know your boy wins the title tonight right?"

Her resounding screech could have been heard miles away. "He what?"

"He's winning the Intercontinental Championship," Glen said. "He didn't tell you?"

Melina affixed her eyes to the monitor, cursing her tantrum from earlier. "He tried too."

All too quickly the bout was over, Melina squealing with delight as John posed in the ring and headed up the ramp. He had barely made it through the curtain and into the hall before Melina launched herself at him, the newly crowned champion stumbling slightly as she wrapped her legs around his waist and buried her face in his neck. Glen chuckled at her exuberance as John graciously accepted the congratulations of the agents and staff in the Gorilla, navigating his way into space with Melina clinging to him still.

"Whoa whoa whoa," John laughed as he set her down and pulled her into his side. "Easy Mel."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She pouted as she swatted him in the arm. "I am so proud of you!"

"I tried to tell you," he reminded her with a smile as he drew her in for a kiss. "It doesn't matter. You were watching right?"

Melina was positively beaming. "I saw the entire thing! I was watching it with Glen."

"Oh?" John's face hardened at the mention of the man otherwise known as Kane. "I see you sorted things out then."

"We did," Glen stepped forward. "Congratulations. It was a great match."

"Thanks," John accepted warily. "I like to think Rey and I put on a decent show."

"That you did," Glen nodded as Melina slipped her arm around John's waist and shot him a warning look. "Look, John. I owe you an apology."

John squared his shoulders, discretely attempting to push his girlfriend behind him. She scoffed at his efforts but let him do as he wished, wondering why these two couldn't just put their differences aside instead of engaging in this pointless pissing contest. "Oh?"

"I shouldn't have said anything to Melina," Glen offered begrudgingly. "It's not my place to pass judgment on her relationship with you, regardless of what I might think. I also shouldn't have said anything derogatory about you John. It wasn't my intention to upset Melina or cause a rift between the two of you," he added as he stuck out his hand. "I'm sorry."

"And you expect me to believe you," John raised an eyebrow in his co-workers direction as he eyed Glen's hand. "Just like that."

"Just like that," Glen repeated at Melina's nod, getting frustrated with the situation. Melina had said he had to apologise; she never said he actually had to trust John. "I don't expect us to be best buddies John, but geez, for Melina's sake be a man and accept my apology."

"Fine," John sneered. Sticking out his hand to shake Glens, his voice dropped, tone threatening. "But don't you dare upset her again. It's one thing to be protective of a friend. It's another to make her doubt herself and doubt the people who love her. If you do anything to hurt Melina, know that I'll be right here to hurt you twice as bad."

Glen growled, a guttural noise sounding deep in his throat. Stepping forward he got in John's face, unsatisfied with the man's response. "If you continue to treat her the way she deserves to be treated I won't have reason too."

Ducking out from behind her boyfriend Melina tried to defuse the situation. "Okay guys, enough! Glen, I'll talk to you later."

"Melina-"

Shaking her head, Melina interjected.

"-Later, Glen."

Snarling, Glen narrowed his eyes at John, unwavering as Melina folded herself under John's arm. She shot him a pleading look, the seven foot man standing tall as he stalked away. He was halfway down the hall when he paused, thinking he had seen someone slink away into the shadows.

Spinning around in a tight circle he frowned. The corridor was completely empty.

Aggravated, he punched the wall before cursing aloud and leaving the building.

Checking that the coast was clear, Shane McMahon stepped back into the hall just in time to see Melina embrace her boyfriend. Tucking her head under his chin, John slowly ran his hands up and down her arms to calm her down, their earlier excitement forgotten. Her arms wound around his waist as she buried her face into his chest, John lowering his head to whisper in her ear.

Gagging, Shane bit the inside of his cheek. He needed to stop this before he threw up all over his expensive Italian shoes.

"Hennigan!" Shane began to make his way toward the happy couple, fake smile plastered across his face. Melina froze in her lover's arms at the sound of his voice. Smirking inwardly, he strolled up to the pair and patted John on the back. "Congratulations. That was a great match."

"Thanks, Shane." John replied genuinely, unaware of Melina's problems with their boss. "Glad you liked it."

"Oh, I loved it. I think you're going to be a fantastic champion John." Shane responded smugly as he met Melina's gaze. "But let's try and keep fraternization in the halls to a bare minimum, shall we?"

Melina immediately stepped away from John as Shane continued down the hall without stopping further. John's brow furrowed, confused. "What was that all about?"

"I have no idea," Melina swallowed heavily as John reached for her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "I don't think he likes me very much."

"What? Who wouldn't like you?" John looked baffled at her guilty confession. Melina shrugged, pretending it didn't bother her. "Well I don't care what he thinks," he declared. "I love you, and there's nothing Shane, or anyone else can do about it."

John's words echoed throughout the building, catching Shane's attention as he turned the corner.

"Famous last words Morrison," he hissed. "Famous last words."

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Please Review.


	3. Chapter 3

I love how I decide to include Layla and Maria in this and less than a week later they're both on the outer with J&M fans for being completely out of order. Reading this story are you ladies? It's fictional - much like everything you two have dredged up in the past seven days. The irony is not lost on me!

Just to reiterate - the opinions written here are based on a small element of truth and do not reflect that of the individuals in real life.

Your feedback is phenomenal; I'm glad so many of you empathise with John and Melina and cannot stand Shane. Thank you for every single one of your reviews!

I own nothing you recognise. I can quote the Palace of Wisdom verbatim though. This plot belongs to FormerlyKnownAsJackie.

* * *

"So what do you think?" Michelle panted, wiping the sweat from her brow. "Could it work?"

Melina frowned, analysing the move she had just seen from a critical perspective. "I think so. How long did you say you've been working on it?"

"Just a couple of weeks," the blonde explained as she took a swig from her water bottle. This was the second time in as many days she had spent time with Melina. Yesterday they had gone to the hotel gym before grabbing a juice after. It felt strange, in a way. When Shane had taken her aside and asked her to keep an eye on Smackdown's newest Diva she had been skeptical at best. She didn't quite understand what Shane wanted with Melina. She knew _what _he wanted. She couldn't for the life of her figure out the _why_. Michelle hadn't exactly been in a position to say no though. She and Shane had … hooked up, for lack of a better term, at the Wrestlemania post-party that year while Mark had been forced to return home to check on one of his real estate investments. They hadn't gone any further than sloppy kisses and heavy petting, but Michelle knew that if she didn't do as Shane asked, he'd find someway to make her drunk indiscretions known to her boyfriend. In a twisted way she was grateful. Being blackmailed was better than being forced to sleep with him. It was no secret that he had half the Diva's on an extremely short leash. Michelle's beef with Melina was over the gold though. She was determined to keep her belt at any cost, even if it meant more casualties in the process. Nothing would stop her from being at the top of her game - and in her mind, in her rightful position next to Mark on the WWE throne. "I know it's not TV ready."

"It has potential though," Melina noted thoughtfully. "It's a great submission manoeuvre. What gave you the idea?"

Flushing, the blonde hid her face. "It's actually something I picked up from you. I hope you don't mind."

The surprise on Melina's face was enough to confirm Michelle's suspicions. "Really? No, of course I don't mind. Thanks."

"Well, you are the best female worker in the company," Michelle continued, laying it on pretty thick. Flattery. It worked every time. "If I could accomplish half of what you have by the time I retire I would be happy."

"Oh." Melina knew she was the best female worker on the roster presently. Her bullshit metre was skyrocketing. If she was being honest, she hadn't even accomplished half of what she wanted too in the industry so she had no idea of what Michelle was carrying on about. What had started off as a seemingly innocent friendship between the pair suddenly had Melina questioning the blondes every word. Recalling seeing Michelle and Shane together on her first night here she plastered a wide smile on her face. "You shouldn't be so modest," she smiled forcibly. Michelle had an ulterior motive for being here, that much was becoming clear. The pride she had felt earlier about being able to help someone extend their repertoire was quickly extinguished. Michelle was nothing more than a spy working for the enemy. "You're doing a great job."

"I try," Michelle smiled coyly, thinking she had Melina right where she wanted her. "I wish-"

"Hey Perez! Move out, I require the ring."

Turning in her seat, Melina said a silent prayer of thanks as a blonde head of hair popped up in the corner of her vision. She'd never been so happy to see Jericho in her life. Glen rolled his eyes as he strolled down the make shift ramp at the Canadian's side, unimpressed by his opponent for the nights actions.

"Manners, Chris. Try investing in some," Glen suggested dryly. "Hey Mel."

"Hey Glen," she beamed, relieved that the cavalry had arrived. "Chris."

"How are you?" Glen asked her as he gave her a welcoming hug. "Everything alright?"

"Everything's great," Melina smiled. And it was. John had surprised her with two nights away last week when they had been due to return home. It didn't matter to her that for the majority of the time they had been too exhausted to do anything but lounge in front of the television. Some of her fondest memories with John were of times curled up on the couch, simply enjoying each others company. "Really," she assured him. Glen's expression held a token of uncertainty. He was trying to give John the benefit of the doubt, knowing that he would never intentionally hurt Melina. Something in the pit of his stomach told him he should think otherwise though. "How are the girls?"

Glen grimaced, causing her to laugh. "That boy," he remarked sourly. "That you recommended I give a chance? Well, he's taken up residence on our couch almost every waking hour when he's not in school, asleep or playing football. He's like a bad smell that just won't leave!"

"Aww," she grinned teasingly as Chris climbed into the ring behind them. "He sounds smitten."

"I'll give him smitten," Glen grumbled under his breath. "Doesn't he know that no one will ever be good enough for my girls?"

Bemused, Melina raised an eyebrow. "Gee. Now why does that sound familiar?"

Michelle scowled and stepped between the ropes to exit the ring. She didn't have time to listen to this oh-so-humorous exchange between friends. Trust Chris Irvine and that blockhead Jacobs to show up when she was finally beginning to get somewhere with Melina. Now she would have to waste even more time hanging out with her. Wonderful. "Melina," she spoke sweetly. "I should go and get ready for the show."

"Oh!" Melina winced inwardly. She had completely forgotten Michelle was there. "You don't have to go-"

"I do," Michelle cut in, appearing apologetic. "I'll see you later? Did you say we were meeting at 4pm?"

"That's right," Melina nodded. "See you then."

Glen watched the blonde vanish down the aisle and head to the locker area. "What was that about?" He asked quietly. "Are you two BFFs now?"

"BFFs?" she snorted. "Geez, Glen, you're down with the kids."

He rolled his eyes, turning to watch Chris run the ropes. "You try living with two teenagers and not picking up their lingo."

"Next thing you know you'll be tweeting and gossiping about virginal vampires," she laughed. "No, Michelle and I are not, and will never be best friends forever. There's a Diva meeting later on. Something about a possible change in booking agents for our matches."

The former ECW Champion frowned. "That's odd."

"How so?" Melina questioned as she perched on the ring apron.

Glen followed suit before rolling himself under the ropes. "For one," he pointed out. "The Diva's matches don't have booking agents. I thought Shane and Creative just picked two girls and shoved them in the ring together."

"I know we don't," she replied, smacking him on the arm. "Most of the time, it's up to the girl with more experience to call the shots. Maybe we're finally getting someone who can give some of the greener girls some guidance."

"Or maybe they've just realised how bad half the Diva's matches are and they're pulling the plug altogether," Chris butted in snidely as he flopped down next to her. She made a face and he shook his head. "I don't mean you Mel. Jesus. Give me some credit."

"I know you didn't. But that doesn't change anything," she muttered.

"Hey," his voice dropped. "I heard Stephanie is going to be here, if that helps."

"Nope." Chris glanced at the woman beside him, seeking further explanation. " … We don't exactly see eye to eye."

"Even though you happen to have one massive thing in common?" At Melina's blank stare he continued, fishing for information. "You both dislike Shane. Am I right?"

She stiffened slightly, turning her attention to Glen as he fooled around with one of the turnbuckle pads. "I don't have any feeling for Shane McMahon," she shot back, instantly reminded of Michelle's deceit. "Professional or otherwise. He's my boss. That is all Chris. Just drop it!"

Sliding into the ring she charged across the square to Glen, immediately engaging him in conversation. Chris shook his head and climbed to his feet, ready to start mapping out his match. "Well. That certainly hit a nerve."

"So we're set then?"

John nodded clapping Drew on the shoulder. "Sure are. You want to run through it again or are we good to go?"

The Scotsman paused. "Do you mind if we give that second spot a go in the ring? I'm not used to doing so much rope work."

"No problem," John agreed easily. "I was heading out there now to find Melina. Come on." The pair headed down the hall, John lost in his own thoughts as they meandered along. He wasn't that thrilled about losing to Drew tonight but at least he was keeping the IC title.

Things were beginning to look up.

Little did he know, everything was about to fall apart.

Pushing through the curtains at the Gorilla he stepped out on to the ramp with Drew at his heels. His eyes automatically locked on Melina teetering on the top rope, his girlfriend balancing precociously as Glen and Chris bickered about something in the centre of the ring.

"What the heck is she doing up there," he muttered, stalking down the ramp. His pace quickened as Melina began to wobble, looking like she was going to fall to the concrete below. There was no point in calling out to her, she would simply get startled and tumble. Before he had the chance to reach her, Melina fell, crashing head first to the mat. "Mel!"

Chris and Glen turned instantaneously, Melina's scream echoing throughout the arena. Within an instant they were both next to her, Glen rolling her on her side in the event that she began to seize and choke on her tongue. John tore through the ropes seconds later, shoving Chris to the side as Melina began to cry, clutching at her skull. Glen snatched her up in his arms, holding her close and rocking her slightly as she began to sob.

"Mel? Honey, are you okay?" He asked with concern. "Where does it hurt?"

"My head," she whimpered, eyes closed. "I smacked it on the turnbuckle on the way down."

"Give her to me," John demanded, his arms were outstretched. Falling to his knees, his face was frantic with worry. "Glen, please."

Ignoring him, Glen brushed Melina's hair off of her face. "I'll take you to the trainer."

"Glen," Chris spoke up, Drew standing behind him. The Scottish Superstar had no idea of what to make of this situation. He knew John and Melina were together yet he had no idea of how Glen fit into this dynamic. Chris had yet to deem him worthy enough to hold a conversation. "This is John's jurisdiction. Let him take care of her."

"Please," John repeated tersely. "Pass Melina to me." Glen growled, torn between what was right and the resentment he still felt toward his co-worker. Moments later John found himself shoved back on his arse with Melina in his arms. Realising where she was she latched her arms around his neck and buried her face into his neck. His hand travelled to her hair, pulling away when he felt blood, the sticky substance coating his fingers. Swallowing, he held her tighter, as if he could will her pain away. "Christ," he breathed. "Mel, you're going to need stitches. How did this happen?"

"You saw how it happened," Glen clenched his fists, angry at both himself for letting it happen and for allowing John to muscle his way back into Melina's life. She had been hurt while she was with him. He should have been looking out for her. He considered her welfare to be his responsibility when they were together and he knew John would as well. John would definitely blame him for this. "She fell."

"Why was she on the top rope?" John seethed as Melina locked her legs around his waist. "More importantly, why was she on the top rope with the two of you in the ring? Why was she not being spotted? And WHY were the two of you fighting and not concentrating?"

"Calm down John," Chris said quietly, trying to restore some calm. "It was an accident."

"An accident. An ACCIDENT?" John asked incredulously. Melina's sobs had subsided, John's tone becoming dangerous. Laying her over his shoulder he staggered to his feet and shifted her back into his arms. "Right. If it's an accident, you mind telling me why the cover is off that turnbuckle and my girlfriend has blood pouring from the back of her skull? Who moved the turnbuckle pad? Huh, Chris? Who took it off? Was it you Glen? Was it?"

"John, it was-"

"Johnny, my head hurts," Melina moaned softly, desperate to get away from the shouting. Her head was pounding. If she didn't know any better she would have assumed there was a jackhammer going off in the back of her brain. "Help."

"I know, baby, I know," he murmured, kissing her temple. "Let's get you checked out. I'm so sorry." Glaring at Glen and Chris he looked as if he was going to make another heated remark. He thought better of it when Melina shifted in his arms, one of her hands winding through his hair in an attempt to get him to calm down. Glancing at Drew he sighed, cursing himself. Melina was hurt and he was being selfish. Pushing aside his animosity toward the men momentarily he stepped through the ropes. "Some help?"

Drew nodded, hopping out of the ring so that John could place Melina in his arms as he stepped down to the floor. The instant he was back on solid ground he reclaimed her girlfriend and turned to leave.

"-my fault." Chris continued somewhat sheepishly. "I removed the turnbuckle pad. I took it off before and forgot to put it back on. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for Mel to get hurt."

" … Why would you do that?" John's eyes narrowed as Chris stood, unflinching. The Canadian made no move to answer John's question, keeping his eyes focussed on the titantron. "Well? You can't tell me, can you? Because you didn't do it. Glen took it off."

Glen rolled his eyes, folding his arms across his chest. Their truce was obviously over. "Of course. I took the turnbuckle pad off. That would make you happy wouldn't it?"

"No, it wouldn't. I thought I could trust Melina around you. Clearly, I was wrong."

"Oh that's bullshit!" Glen exploded. "I hate it say it John, but Melina could be injured at anytime while she's in this ring! You're just pinning the blame on me to make yourself feel better, aren't you? Anything to make me look like the bad guy."

"You don't need any help to make you look like a jackass in my book," John laughed cynically. "I'm pretty sure it was only last week that I told you to watch yourself, wasn't it? That if you hurt Melina I would be here to ensure you suffered a fate twice as bad," he shot back. "Don't think for a second that I won't make good on that promise."

Chris grabbed at Glen's arm as the mans face turned bright red, obviously preparing to charge at the John. Anticipating more conflict, Drew sidled into position between John and the ring apron. "Glen," Chris muttered. "Let it go. He doesn't mean it, he's just upset. "

"It was me."

John glanced down at the woman in his arms. "Huh?"

"It was me," she repeated weakly, deciding it wasn't necessary for him to know that Glen had been the one to loosen it previously. "The turnbuckle pad wasn't on properly so I just took it off. Chris didn't do anything wrong."

"Mel," his tone was horrified. "Why would you do that? What were you doing on the ropes?"

"… I was bored?"

His eyes darkened at her confession, ready to read her the riot act about being careful in the damn ring when he wasn't around. John knew she could hold her own. She was phenomenal out there. That didn't stop him from being a protective son of a bitch where she was concerned. He had only just gotten her back. He wasn't prepared to lose her again. "I can't believe-"

"Well, well, well," a cheerful voice intoned. "What do we have here?"

The four men in the ring turned to see Shane wandering toward them, a tiny redhead attached to his arm. Dressed in what looked like an expensive suit, he looked ridiculously overdressed next to his partner whose clothes were about the size of a postage stamp. Her hair hung to her shoulders, failing to conceal a suspicious bruise forming on the side of her neck. Her eyes widened at the sight of Melina cradled in John's arms, something that didn't fail to escape Shane's attention either. Melina's grip on John tightened at the sound of Shane's voice, fisting John's shirt in her hands.

"Shane," Chris greeted his superior coolly. "Do what do we owe this pleasure?"

"Just making the rounds before the show starts," the Chairman's son explained smoothly. "I trust you're all prepared for your match tonight?"

"Why wouldn't we be?"

Shane's nostrils flared, not appreciating Chris's tendency to challenge everything he said. He had no idea what his sister saw in that Neanderthal. Of all the people to befriend, of course she would choose the egotistical Chris Irvine. He had a sneaking suspicion she did it just to piss him off. It just screamed 'Stephanie'. "Glen," Shane nodded. "I apologise for pitting you against such a substandard opponent."

Exchanging a look with Chris, Glen laughed uneasily. It was no big secret that Shane and Chris didn't get along, yet there was no way he wanted to get entangled in yet another backstage fiasco. "Thanks Shane. I think."

Moving along Shane scanned Drew briefly, giving the wrestler the once over before ignoring him and turning his attention to John. "Mr Hennigan," Shane drawled, gesturing to the woman John held in his arms. "We've got to stop meeting like this. I believe I told you last week about our fraternization policy. Ms Perez and I have already spoken about this at length also."

"Shane," John responded through gritted teeth. He hadn't forgotten his girlfriend's fears from last week. He knew she believed Shane didn't like her, and in this instance he was inclined to believe she was right. "Melina's hurt. I need to take her to the trainer. She needs stitches."

"And I need to talk to you and Drew about your match for this evening," Shane countered. "Someone else can take her."

"It's fine," Melina murmured quietly. "It's just a stinger. I can go. You stay here with Drew."

"It's not a stinger Mel, your head is freaking split open! I don't want you going alone," he muttered back. "I want to go with you."

"Glen can take me," she insisted. It was one thing for her to be in Shane's bad books, she didn't want John to get in any trouble because of her. "I'll be okay. Let me down."

"Now, Hennigan. Melina, you need to get yourself seen too. You have a meeting in just under an hour if I'm not mistaken. Stephanie will not be happy if you are late. Drew!" Shane barked as he strode across to the announce table. "Here, now!"

Setting Melina down John touched his hand to the wound under her hair. The flow of blood had stopped, yet a nasty bump was forming in its place. "Are you sure you're alright? Drew and I know what we're doing. I can come with you…"

"No," she shook her head, cheeks tearstained and her hair askew. "Stay here. I appreciate the thought though."

"I love you. You know that right?"

"I know," Melina beamed. It didn't matter how big a hole she had in the back of her head. She would never tire of hearing those words. "I love you too."

"Love is for suckers," Shane muttered under his breath as John kissed his girl goodbye. Sherry, or Cherry, whatever the girl's name was giggled as she perched on the edge of the announce desk, his hand halfway up her thigh. He couldn't actually recall where he had found her. All he remembered was waking up beside her this morning, his pants around his ankles and her dress hanging off the television. "HENNIGAN! I won't ask you again!"

"C'mon Perez," Chris yawned as he came up behind the couple, Glen following along with his trademark stoicism. "Let's get you all stitched up so you won't be late to see Princess Stephanie."

"What is the deal with you and her anyway?" Melina asked curiously as Chris led her away, arm wrapped around her waist. John watched them leave, relieved that Chris was there. Unlike her so-called best friend, John knew he could trust Chris around Melina.

The former ambled behind them, shooting a dirty look in John's direction.

John knew that Glen had something to do with the missing turnbuckle.

He didn't trust him as far as he throw could him.

Forty minutes later Melina left the trainers with seventeen stitches in the back of head and a mournful expression on her face. They had needed a shave a tiny section of her head to find the wound and consequently she now had a bald spot the size of a small stapler under her layers. The trainer had sworn up and down that it wasn't noticeable but she didn't believe him. Sighing, she picked up the pace and headed to the other side of the arena to meet the other Diva's.

Chris and Glen had left her alone after she had demanded they go and get ready for the show. She didn't know where John was, but she sorely hoped it was far away from Shane. She felt extremely flattered by how attentive John had been earlier, but she was wary of how Shane might react to the amount of attention they paid to each other while at work. Twice now he had caught them in what he probably termed to be a compromising position. She wasn't entirely sure of what Shane's agenda was with her, but it was bothering her more than she would let on. It wasn't enough for him to attempt to corner her on her first night here, now he had started shadowing her through the halls and sending his little minion's to spy on her.

Melina hadn't recognised the girl with him today either. Usually, Shane made do with a Diva on each arm.

She knew it couldn't be good. Michelle, Layla and Maria all seemed to be under his little spell. Maria had surprised her; when she had heard that one of the girls had been caught on her knees in Shane's office she had expected it to be one of the girls she had encountered him with previously.

Layla hadn't expected it either apparently - the two had been caught scuffling in catering and had had to be pulled apart after word had gotten around.

God only knows what communicable diseases were now circulating the locker room.

"Nice of you to join us Melina," Stephanie remarked sarcastically as Melina entered the Diva's locker room. "So sorry to inconvenience you with our little meeting. Next time, when I say 4pm, I mean 4pm."

Melina glanced at the clock.

It was 3.55pm.

Well, at least her relationship with _this_ McMahon had changed since she had moved shows.

"Sure thing, Stephanie."

"As I was saying," Stephanie addressed the group frostily. "I'll be taking the next couple of weeks off while my daughter Aurora has her tonsils out. Ordinarily, this wouldn't affect you. However, since Shane takes care of the Diva's division here as I do on Raw, he will be travelling with the Raw brand for the next fortnight. While he is gone, your matches will be co-ordinated by Finlay, who most of you know from your training, and the senior Diva on this programme. I won't lie, the women's matches have been looking a little sloppy of late. Michelle, your match with Melina last week was good, but I believe the two of you can do better. Maria, Layla," Stephanie singled out the two girls who glanced each other with a huff and promptly faced the other way. "You both need to do a lot of work to help bring this division up to scratch. Any questions?"

"What about decisions regarding the title while Shane is away?" Layla asked snootily, shooting a death stare at Maria. "What happens then?"

Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Since you can't make it through a match without making a mistake yet, Layla, I don't think that's any of your concern. Anything else?" Layla's jaw dropped as Maria snickered into her hand. "That goes for you too, Maria." The snickering promptly stopped as Stephanie gathered her papers and moved to leave. "You can go and get ready for tonight's show. Melina, Shane said you have an injury of some sort. Can you work?"

"Of course," Melina answered without hesitation. "I wasn't scheduled to wrestle though, just be in a segment backstage-"

"You are now," Stephanie cut in curtly. "I want you in the dark match before the taping. For some idiotic reason my brother wants to hire more female talent."

"Gee," Melina mumbled under her breath. "I wonder why."

Stephanie held back a snort. It seemed as if she wasn't the only one who saw through her brother's motives. If the Latina wasn't such a whiny little bitch when she first started with the company, they might actually have become friends. Stephanie admired women in this business who were actually in it for the right reasons. She had no patience for the blonde bobble heads that her brother hired.

"I want you in there so I can see if they can actually wrestle worth a damn. Give them hell Melina."

"Decent match."

Melina stiffened, continuing to chuck her things into her bag without even turning around. She had just gotten out of the shower and thankfully, had decided to change in the bathroom before entering the main section of John's locker room. "What's it to you Shane?"

"I take an interest in all of the companies employees Melina," he replied pleasantly. "I thought I would give you some feedback."

"Really?" Melina asked dryly, slipping her tennis shoes on. "And what would that be? Is my ring attire not skimpy enough for your liking?"

"Actually," he breathed in her ear. "It's not."

She jumped, not realising he had gotten so close to her in the time it had taken her to find her footwear. Spinning around, she backed into the wall, shying away from her boss as he moved in front of her and rested his hands on the wall either side of her, effectively blocking her in. "Shit. Shane, stop it."

"Stop what?" Shane purred as he leaned in toward her. His eyes travelled from her face down to her breasts, focussing on her accentuated cleavage. Licking his lips, he cleared his throat, a devious smirk appearing on his face. "I'm not actually doing anything Melina. Does my being in your personal space make you nervous?"

"Yes," she replied, albeit a little shakily. "Please leave."

"What are you going to do if I don't?"

"Scream," Melina answered immediately. "Let me go Shane or I swear to God I'll scream."

He leered, inching one of his hands closer toward her. "I dare you to try."

Before he knew what was happening, she brought the heel of her palm up and connected it with his nose. Shane howled in pain, Melina taking advantage of his distraction to sprint out the door and into the hall where she collided with Stephanie who was on the phone.

"Watch where you're going Melina!" Stephanie snapped, preoccupied with dealing with her nanny who was on the other end of the line.

Eyes wide, Melina took off in the other direction without another word. It didn't matter where the hell she was going.

She just knew she needed to get out of there.

Back in the locker room Shane roared, blood pouring from his now broken nose. Grabbing his cell he angrily punched in the digits he desired.

'Dad? I need a favour."

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Please Review.


	4. Chapter 4

So sorry for the delay guys, real life intervened. This chapter, the plot thickens. We begin to discover exactly why Shane is so fixated on Melina and we learn why Stephanie and Melina don't get along. Some of you were on the right track with your ideas, which means you guys are incredibly intelligent or I'm becoming ridiculously predictable. I'm hoping it's the former.

Business is about to pick up. For the Shippers, there is some epic heartfail about to take place. Don't say I didn't warn you. This takes place immediately after the Smackdown tapings in chapter three.

This is fiction - the opinions written here are based on a small element of truth and do not reflect that of the individuals in real life. I own nothing you recognise. This plot belongs to FormerlyKnownAsJackie. The twists belong to me.

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"The average ratings for Smackdown have been consistently falling over the past month," a bored WWE executive droned wearily. It was after midnight in Stamford where the company headquarters were located. Tapings had been held locally this week, with most of the talent located at the Hilton just down the road. "We believe we've discovered the reason for the sudden down turn-"

Stephanie drilled her fingers against the table top in a repetitive fashion as she glanced idly at her watch. Paul had Aurora tonight. Rather, Paul's nanny was caring for her daughter. God only knows what her ex-husband was doing, but she could almost guarantee it wasn't taking care of their five year old. More like 'taking care' of the nanny. It wouldn't be the first time. Disguising a snort with a cough, she scanned the faces sitting around the board room.

Creative members.

Snivelling old men from the board who were evidently here in place of her father, who had conveniently decided to whisk her mother away for the week therefore leaving the plebeians in charge.

Her brother.

Shane McMahon sat directly across of her at the head of the table, seemingly enthralled with whatever the old codger was carrying on about. It wasn't that Stephanie didn't care about Smackdown; she had a major stake in this company along with the other members of her family. She just happened to care about Raw more. It was her show, it had the better ratings, the main event talent. It wasn't her fault her brother sucked at his job. And at watching where he was going, apparently. Shane's nose was currently swollen beyond belief. He had taped strapped across the bridge, tissues stuffed into his nostrils. Stephanie snickered under her breath, visualising the blood she had seen streaming down his face when she had run into him in the hall earlier that night. He claimed to have run into a door. Funny, when she had been eavesdropping outside Dr. Rio's office she had distinctly heard the doctor say something about a deviated septum … caused by blunt force trauma, probably a fist to the face. Figures. She wasn't surprised; she just wish she knew who had caused the damage so she could shake their hand in thanks. And then give them a raise.

"So it's decided then. We'll having a Diva trade on Monday Night Raw. Alexis, or Mickie will go to Smackdown and Melina to Raw."

Stephanie's head snapped up in surprise. "What?"

Shane's eyes gleamed. He knew she hadn't seen that one coming. Stephanie had only two weaknesses. One, no matter how much she prided herself upon being a focal part of the Raw production team, she would drop everything at a moment's notice for her daughter. Two, she was extremely pigheaded. Only one opinion was valid in Stephanie's mind, regardless of the situation - her own. Between Aurora needing surgery and her evident distaste for Melina, he had this in the bag. "If you had been paying attention Stephanie," he smirked, standing in his seat. "You would know that Smackdown's ratings are at an all time high amongst the Hispanic community. You would also know that Alexis's behaviour recently has been nothing short of deplorable."

"What behaviour?" The words were out of Stephanie's mouth before she could help herself. Shit. If one of the Divas on her brand was playing up, she should have been the first to know about it.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Shane asked innocently as he buttoned his suit jacket. His voice was thick and sloppy, due to the pain medication he was on and the fact he could no longer breathe through his nose. "I could have sworn I left a report about it on your desk."

"Right! Sure, I know what you're referring to now," Stephanie lied through her teeth. She had no idea of what the heck was going on. There was no way in hell she was going to let her brother know that though. "Is it absolutely necessary to move Alexis though? I don't believe what happened warrants uprooting her and changing shows."

"On the contrary," Shane counted. "I believe sending her to Smackdown would be a fantastic wake up call for her. Some of the younger Diva's could truly benefit from working with her in the ring."

"Is that not why we arranged to move Melina to Smackdown in the draft?" Stephanie asked through gritted teeth. She couldn't believe she was about to say this. "She is the most experienced female worker on the roster. Your girls are pathetic. If anyone can dig them out of the hole they keep digging for themselves, it's Melina."

"The reason Melina was moved was because we were losing the Hispanic community."

"The reason that happened was because Oscar, Rey, whatever he's calling himself these days, was stupid enough to get himself suspended from television for a month," Stephanie snapped. "He's the biggest draw for the younger audience and you know it. I don't know why you feel the need to move Melina. Now that your ratings are nose diving you want to shoulder her with the blame? I don't understand."

"Dad and I feel," Shane smiled broadly as his sister's face fell. "Yes, Stephanie, I've spoken to Dad about this and he supports this trade one hundred percent. We feel that the companies strongest female competitor should be back on the flagship brand. Mickie, sorry Alexis, is a good worker with a decent amount of experience. Consequently, she can help the girls on Smackdown out in Melina's absence. Imagine what Melina could do with your girls on Raw. Alicia, Nikki, Eve - they would all benefit from having her on the roster. Surely Steph, it would make your show even stronger."

"And would put you at a distinct disadvantage," she mused quietly. An uneasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. "Melina is a massive drawcard, the audience love her. Why? What do you have to gain from this? Why the sudden decision to move Melina back to Mondays? I know you Shane, you have to have an ulterior motive of some sort."

"No ulterior motive. None," Shane said pleasantly. Well, that wasn't entirely true. After all, he would be travelling with the Raw brand soon while his sister was absent. He didn't necessarily consider shifting Melina with him motive … merely a strategic business move that would benefit the company … not to mention himself. On Raw, Melina would be virtually isolated from John and her little pals Glen and Chris. She would be vulnerable … John's former indiscretions while they had been separated were sure to play on her mind while they were apart. She would have no one to run too, no one to save her … no reason to reject his advances any longer. That was what it was all about, wasn't it? He wanted Melina. He had had every other girl in that locker room but the Latina and it was driving him mad. His sexual appetite was insatiable, yet he had a feeling - something that came from both from his own fantasies and backstage gossip - that Melina would be the one to make him beg for mercy. He had studied her matches, saw the passion in her eyes when she competed, heard the desperation in her screams. She had to be a tiger in the bedroom. He wanted to dominate her. He didn't appreciate her insubordinate attitude toward him. In Shane's mind, women should be submissive. Most of the Diva's he had encountered were. The rest had been rather open to … various methods of persuasion. Being able to control a woman gave a certain sense of …accomplishment. Achievement. Power. John's jealousy regarding Melina's relationship with Dave Batista was also something he could work to his advantage he realised. He had no doubt Glen would keep John in line though, forcing Chris to play peace maker. Self-destruction was only a step away. "I'm doing you a favour Stephanie. Why can't you just accept that?"

"Because I know you." She muttered. "I don't like this."

"You don't like this, or you don't like the idea of Melina being on your show?" Shane challenged. "You don't like Melina and I think I know why. It's because you're too similar, isn't it? Melina doesn't take any crap from anyone and neither do you. She's not afraid to back down from a fight and she's as tough as nails. You don't like her, Stephanie, because looking at Melina for you is like looking in a mirror. You've become accustomed to being the only strong, independent women in this company and you feel threatened by her. Admit it."

"That's not true!"

"No? Then why Stephanie?" Shane's face was dark, not liking where this conversation was headed. He was determined to get what he wanted and prepared to go to any length necessary to get it. "What have you got against her?"

"Nothing!" God, she hated it when he was right. "Fine, Shane, do what you like. Put Melina on Raw. At least then I can keep an eye on her when I return. But know that I don't like this. I know you're up to something and so help me, when I find out what it is I'm going to give you the arse-kicking you so sorely deserve. I don't have anything against her and I'll prove it. Good luck with Alexis," she sneered. "I didn't think it was possible for the quality of the women's matches on Smackdown to get any worse but I was wrong. Melina's going to shit all over Mickie in regard to helping the girls work out their moves. Just you wait and see."

The two siblings glared at each other across the table, palms face down, backs hunched defensively as they eyeballed each other with obvious disdain. Shane's breathing was ragged, Stephanie ready to pounce as he stood tall, refusing to lose their stand off and give her any sort of mental edge. Her eyes narrowed as he opened his mouth to speak, promptly shutting it again.

_Don't even try it._

The man to Shane's left cleared his throat, glancing at the clock on the wall.

It was nearing 1am.

"Meeting dismissed," Stephanie spat. Within what seemed like seconds the room was cleared, everyone anxious to get as far away from the warring siblings as soon as possible. Shane stood frozen, quite pleased with everything he had managed to accomplish. Scowling, Stephanie retreated, shoving her papers into her briefcase. "Are you telling her or am I?"

"Oh you can do it." _Though I would love to be a fly on the wall when those tears start to fall_, he chuckled to himself. "It's not really appropriate for a male board member to be calling or knocking on the door of his female employees so late. It's probably best if you handle this one."

"Pot, kettle?" She asked sarcastically. "Funny, whether something is _inappropriate_ or not has never stopped you before."

Shane was already halfway out the door, unable to appreciate the true irony of the situation.

"Goodnight, Stephanie."

"Would you come to bed already?"

John looked up from the magazine he was flipping through. At his insistence, Melina was in bed, resting. He couldn't believe she had had to work tonight after slashing her head open. It didn't matter how short the match was and that it had only been a dark match. Working with a green competitor increased her chances of getting hurt further. He wasn't going to stand for that. "I'm not tired."

Melina sighed. "I don't care if you're not tired. Will you come and lie down beside me? Please?"

"Mel, if I come over there, I'm going to fall asleep."

"But you just said you weren't tired …"

Setting down his magazine John moved to sit beside her on the bed. "I went and spoke to the Doc after my match." he admitted sheepishly. "You don't have a concussion but he said someone should keep an eye on you while you slept … I figured I just wouldn't say anything and let you get some rest."

Clearly touched by his gesture, she reached for his hand, lacing his fingers with hers. "You should have told me. You had a tough match tonight and we have an early flight."

He shrugged, feeling the effects of his fight with Drew, yet willing to sacrifice a few hours of shut-eye for his girl. "I can sleep on the plane."

A knock sounded on the door.

Standing, John regretfully untangled his fingers from Melina's and moved to open it. "Who is it?"

"It's Stephanie McMahon," came a brisk response from the hall. "John, I need to speak to Melina. Now."

Exchanging puzzled glances, the two paused for a moment before Melina nodded, signalling it was okay to let her in. Throwing on a hoodie, she climbed out of bed just in time to see Stephanie come storming in. "I'm glad you're still up."

Shutting the door behind his boss, John returned to Melina's side. "Is there something wrong Stephanie?"

"Yes. No." Stephanie closed her eyes, suddenly wishing she wasn't the one to deliver the bad news. These two had been through a lot. Melina and John had both come to her specifically, prior to the last draft, in the hope that they would be kept together. She couldn't blame them. Feelings aside, she remembered how difficult things had been when she and Paul had just been starting out. Life on the road was hard enough without a significant other. Being on separate shows and trying to remain in a romantic relationship was damn near impossible. "Look, I'm sorry to be the one who has to tell you this. This wasn't my decision to make and please, believe me when I say I don't approve of it."

Melina clutched her boyfriend's hand tightly, terrified one of them was about to fired. "What is it Stephanie?"

"Melina ... I'm sorry. The decision has been made to move you back to Raw. Effective immediately. Your first show with your new brand is next Monday," Stephanie said quietly, watching all of the blood drain from the Diva's face. Her grip on John tightened, the wrestler not faring much better than she. "Your tickets have been booked and you'll have the weekend off from house shows. I know that's not much of a consolation but-"

"What about me?" John interrupted anxiously. Drawing Melina into his side he tried to ignore the tears streaming down her face. He knew how she felt. They had been through this back in April. "Am I … What's happening with me, Stephanie?"

Stephanie swallowed. She had to try and maintain her composure, but damn it, her maternal instincts were taking over and she couldn't bear to make another couple suffer like she was. She knew all too well what it was like. She'd been here before. No, not with Paul. The relationship she was referring to was a lot more .. Current. "You're staying on Smackdown. I'm going to try and fight to have you moved too John, but I can't make any promises."

"But … I've only been on Smackdown a few months," Melina questioned quietly. "Why me?"

The youngest McMahon raised her hands in surrender. "This call was made by my father and my brother. Alexis needed to be removed from the Raw brand and they believe that you are the only one who can fill her shoes. They need a leader in that locker room Melina and you are the best person for the job, like it or not." Guilt was written across Steph's face as she moved to the exit. "For what it's worth … I really am sorry."

Fleeing into the hall, Stephanie almost collided with Chris Irvine. She looked a picture. Mascara smudged, face an angry red, fists bawled.

She was angry.

At her brother, for aforementioned reasons.

At herself, her letting her emotions get in the way of her work. At Melina and John, for being able to have what she so desperately wanted.

At the man in front of her … for being the one she wanted and for wanting to be the one for her.

"Whoa, Princess. Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

All it took was one look at him to make her anger dissipate into anguish. Throwing her arms around his neck she burst into tears. Shocked, Chris stumbled slightly.

"Hey hey hey," he crooned, gingerly locking his arms around her waist. "It's okay Stephers. Whatever is wrong, it's gonna be okay."

"No it's not," she sobbed. "I can't … I can't keep doing this Chris. I can't keep pushing you away and I can't keep dealing with my brother. I almost lost it in there. Melina and John don't deserve this."

"Deserve what Steph? What happened?"

"Melina's going to Raw," she hiccupped. "And John … I don't want to be on different shows anymore. I want to be with you all the time Chris. I want you with me."

Flushing partly with pride, Chris felt his face grow hot. "Oh Princess …"

"Don't let me be alone Chris," she sobbed. "Don't let me go."

"I'm not going anywhere," he swore. "I'm here Stephanie McMahon. You'll never be able to get me to leave."

Inside, Melina took one look at John's face and crumbled.

The hopeless feeling she had experienced upon moving to Smackdown that first night had returned. Her stomach was churning, the thought of being separated from John again bringing her to her knees.

With a sharp cry she curled up on the carpet, her body racked with sobs.

Everything and everyone was against them. Perhaps they weren't meant to be together at all.

"Don't cry Mel. Please, baby, don't cry." John murmured as he crouched down beside her. "I can't stand to see you like this."

"How can I … not …" She gasped through her sobs as he lifted her into his arms. "We just … I don't want ... To leave!"

"I know," he swallowed heavily. She was falling apart right in front of his eyes, he knew he had to try and be strong enough for the both of them. "I don't want you to go either. But … it's going to be okay. It has to be. Steph said … we'll make this work Melina. I promise you."

"We'll never see each other," came her distraught reply. "What does … what does this mean for us?"

"It doesn't mean a thing," John insisted as he settled her on his lap. "I'm not giving up on you. Or on us. We've been through worse and come out stronger before. We can do it again. Everything happens for a reason Mel," he murmured as he stroked her hair, mindful of the lump on the back of her skull. "Maybe this is meant to be."

Melina stiffened, her initial despair giving way to anger. "Meant to be? What the hell is that supposed to mean? Do you want me to leave?"

"What? No! God Melina," he said, horrified she would ever think such a thing. "How could you even think that? I don't want ever want to be without you. What we have is-"

Comprehension dawned. "… Shane."

John frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"This is all Shane's fault!" Melina burst out in distress. Her stomach was churning, a thousand thoughts flying through her mind as she tried to process the situation. Within an instant she was back on her feet, pacing before him. "You heard what Stephanie said. He wants to split us up. It all makes sense now! The comments about fraternizing in the halls, him showing up in our locker room …"

Her boyfriend's eyes narrowed, mouth set in a deep scowl. "Him showing up where?"

She faltered, fearing she had said too much. Should she …? No. She couldn't. John didn't need to know about Shane. If he knew, he would do something stupid. She couldn't let that happen. Besides, Shane wasn't even on Raw. He was on Smackdown. He was moving her because he wanted to break her and John up. The … incident … that had taken place between Shane and herself earlier that evening wouldn't happen again. Shane wouldn't try anything, would he? If having his nose broken didn't result in Shane taking a hint … The reality of the situation hit her like smack in the face. Who was she kidding? Shane was relentless in his pursuits. He would do everything in his power to get what he wanted. "It's not important," she covered quickly, changing the subject. "I'm flattered that they think I'm good enough to lead the Diva's locker room on Raw but …"

"But what?" Tears flooded her eyes again as John approached her. Melina felt as if she was on a rollercoaster. Much like Stephanie, she was torn. She was angry at Shane. She was terrified he would try and corner her again. She was devastated at the thought of being separated from John. She felt guilty about keeping secrets from him. She was worried about what this meant for their relationship. She was upset because she would be leaving both him and Glen behind. The most overwhelming emotion she was feeling was hopelessness. She felt like she was sinking. She couldn't do this anymore. Wouldn't do this. "Baby, what is it?"

His arms encircled her waist, pulling her toward him as she broke down again. "I don't want to go without you," she sobbed. "Please don't make me go."

"It's not up to me," John reminded her gently as he cupped her cheek. "If I could go to Raw with you I would. You know that. I don't know why Shane and Vince wanted you moved. I do know that you can't say no Mel. You have to go to Raw."

"What if … what if something happens?" _What if Shane tries to attack me again and you're not there to save me?_

"Nothing's going to happen. Shane is your boss baby and I know you don't like him. I can't blame you but-"

"-How do you know?" Melina cut in abruptly, tears still streaming down her face. _What if you forget about me the second I walk out this door and fall in love with the next woman you see? _"You won't be there, you can't know that!"

Grasping her chin firmly he forced her gaze to meet his. "Do you trust me?" She hesitated, biting her bottom lip. "Either you do or you don't. Do you trust me?"

"Is Aurora okay?"

Stephanie snapped her phone shut and tore her eyes away from the city skyline. She was in Chris's hotel room. There were a million reasons she shouldn't have been, professionalism notwithstanding.

She should have been on her way home.

For some reason she just couldn't bring herself to leave.

"She's fine," Stephanie nodded curtly. "No thanks to Paul."

He came up to stand beside her, lacing her fingers with his own. "The divorce was hard on you, wasn't it?"

Bitter laughter cut through the silence as she turned to face him. "Yes," she answered shortly. "I don't know what's worse. Having to see my ignorant oaf of an ex-husband at work every week or having to accept that my father was right. He told me I was making a mistake. Now I'm almost certain he cares for Paul more than he does me. Precious Triple H, Vince McMahon's pride and joy."

"At least you get to see your daughter regularly," Chris replied softly. "I never get to see Ash or the twins anymore. Jess won't let me. She says it's too confusing for them to have me play absentee father. I suppose she's right. Ash never understood why I had to leave. I don't think he understands that Daddy is never coming home either."

Stephanie looked at Chris, seeing him clearly for the first time in a long time. When they had entered in a brief romantic interlude all those years ago he had been carefree. He had worn his hair long, his comments calculated and cutting. She had loved him then. Or so she had thought. Perhaps she loved the thrill of sneaking around and keeping secrets. Chris had then been sent to Raw while she was managing Smackdown. Months passed. She and Paul had become serious and Chris had met Jess. Their friendship had fallen to the way side. Now, ten years later, his hair was short. His eyes were hard, frown lines etched in his forehead from heavy contemplation. He was more reserved now, his barbs short and to the point. He looked as tired as she felt. "Chris, what are we doing?"

Chris licked his lips with anticipation. She was every bit as beautiful now as the day she was when they kissed for the final time. He had known then that people would never have thought him good enough for the bosses daughter. He would be lying if he said part of the reason he had returned to the squared circle wasn't because he didn't want to feel that fire between them again. "What we should have done years ago. Who cares what your Dad thinks? I sure as hell don't. What are you so afraid of?"

"We both know it's not that easy."

"Only because you insist on making things hard for yourself," he admonished her. "Less than an hour ago you told me you wanted me. You said you weren't going to stay away any longer. Give in Stephanie. I know you want this as badly as I do. I've wanted you since I came back and until now you've refused to even give me the time of day. We don't have to go fast, we can take this slow. Just know that we _are_ doing this."

"But …"

"No buts, Princess." Catching her wrists he wrapped his hands around them and rested his chin atop her head. "You're not alone anymore. I've got you."

Forcing a smile upon her face Melina nodded briskly, praying John wouldn't see through her façade. She trusted him. _She just didn't trust anyone else alone with him_. "Absolutely."

"Everything is going to be fine," he repeated, squeezing her to him. "We'll still see each other at home. I can come to Raw sometimes and you can come and visit me on Smackdown." John shot her a hopeful smile. "Stephanie said she's going to try and get me moved with you. It's not like you don't know anyone on Raw, right? Jillian is going to be so happy to have you back."

She'd completely forgotten about being able to see Jillian again. The blond was one of her best female friends. "It'll be good to see her again," Melina admitted as she swiped at her eyes blearily. "And Mike."

John raised an eyebrow. "You must really be upset about having to leave if you consider seeing Miz again to be a positive," he teased. "You two can barely stand each other."

"There are worse people on that roster," she muttered against his shoulder begrudgingly. "Like Eve. Or Barbie."

The Guru of Greatness turned beet red. Melina had obviously heard about his very short and ill-fated fling with the blond. Considering all of the women he had … seen … while they were apart he couldn't blame her for being slightly resentful. He didn't exactly care for the man she had been seeing either. "Or Dave."

Melina swallowed uncomfortably, immediately feeling guilty for bringing up John's former indiscretions when she didn't exactly remain celibate during their separation either. "So," she said weakly. "You're not going to turn around and shack up with another girl the second I leave?"

"Nah," John shook his head. "Unless you count Irvine as a chick." Melina snorted. That'd be a sight for sore eyes. "You're not gonna turn around and start seeing some main event moron behind my back?"

She hesitated. He wasn't. He was giving her an out and he didn't even realise. Letting out a shaky breath she released her grip on his waist and tentatively stepped back. There was no way in hell she would ever even consider cheating on John. On the other hand ... There was one way she could ensure that John would stay out of trouble regardless of what happened to her. She didn't want it to come to this, but … she felt like she had no other choice. She loved John with all of her being. There was in doubt in her mind that he was in fact the love of her life. It went without saying that she would do anything to protect him.

_What was the saying?_

"Mel?" His tone was cautious. Why wasn't she answering him? Unless … unless she wanted to see other people. Unless she … unless she wanted to go back to Dave. "Babe?"

The clock struck 2.30am. Whoever had been crying in the hall earlier had stopped. In just a few short hours they would on their way home to relax before heading back out on the road … alone.

_If you love something … let it go._

"I don't think I can be with you anymore John. I think …"

The air was still.

The room temperature felt as if it had dropped ten degrees in as many seconds.

John's throat was dry as Melina's words tripped off her tongue and crashed to the carpet with what was left of his breaking heart.

"I think we should take a break. I can't … I don't love you anymore."

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_Thank you for reading. Please review._


	5. Chapter 5

Hi guys. I'm so sorry for the delay - I could give you a dozen excuses but I won't. This chapter was tougher to write than anyone will understand. Updates will be sporadic. I have the story completely planned out, it's just a matter of me sitting down and writing it. I've changed my pen name also, sorry for any confusion.

Devin, if you are reading this, I figured you would rather I update than reply to your message. If I recall correctly, you used to read Working Women .. Welcome back! It was a great surprise to see your name in my inbox!

The opinions written here are based on a small element of truth and do not reflect that of the individuals in real life. I'm placing a warning on this chapter - if you're underage, you shouldn't be reading it. That warning applies for the rest of this story. There will be gratuitous language throughout. There is a flashback in italics.

I own nothing you recognise. This plot belongs to FormerlyKnownAsJackie.

As always, thank you for all of your phenomenal reviews and messages.

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"Melina? Is that you?"

The former Women's Champion locked the door of her rental and turned around to see Mike Mizanan leaning against an RV three parks down. Of course. Out of everyone on the Raw roster, of course she would stumble into one of the ones she loathed the most, first. "In the flesh," she muttered sarcastically under her breath. Clearing her throat she smiled forcibly and headed toward John's former tag team partner. "Hi, Mike. How are you?"

"I'm good," he informed her, examining her face with a critical eye. Melina's cheeks were tearstained, the whites of her eyes bloodshot. Her hair was perfectly straight, clothes wrinkle free, even after the hour drive from the airport. From a distance, she looked perfectly fine. Up close, she was an absolute mess. "You?"

"I'm-" She faltered, knowing there was no point in lying to him. He would have spoken to John already, no doubt. "I'm an awful person," she shrugged with an awkward laugh. "What do you want me to say?"

Glancing sideways, Mike sighed inwardly. He had been hoping they would have least been able to make it inside before having this conversation. He and Melina had never really been close. Mike and John had become firm friends when John had been drafted to ECW and he knew Melina didn't appreciate the amount of nights the two had spent in dive bars and seedy hotels looking for female companionship. The trio had travelled together when they were all on Raw, Jillian sometimes tagging along when she was on the road. Since Melina and John had moved to Smackdown, it had been left to him to keep an eye out for Jillian. He didn't mind. The buxom blonde was nothing like the vapid character she portrayed on screen. In reality, she was now probably one of his closest friends on the roster. She was important to Melina, who was important to John and therefore important to Mike by default. Having Melina back changed things. He hadn't expected to be woken up by John a couple of nights ago at 3am. He definitely hadn't expected John to be in tears. In all the years he had known the Californian native, John had never cried in front of him. Hell, John never cried full stop. "Mel. You're not an awful person."

"No, I am," Melina insisted. The keys she had been holding fell to the ground as the gravity of the situation hit her once again. "I told John that I … that I didn't love him."

Mike's eyes bugged out of his head. Well, he certainly hadn't expected her to say that. "What the hell did you do that for? Why would you lie to him?"

"I didn't lie."

The car park was beginning to fill quickly as various other Superstar's began to arrive for Monday night Raw. Curious glances from their co-workers made Melina uneasy, the former champion dropping her head as whispers reached her ears, questioning her appearance. Undeterred, Mike contained on with his line of questioning. "Bullshit. Why'd you lie?"

Startled by the fact he was challenging her, Melina's head shot back up, her eyes wide. "I didn't …"

"Cut the crap, Perez," Mike rolled his eyes as he interrupted her. "I know you think I'm stupid, but I'm not that stupid. I know you. I know John. He would die for you Melina and I know how self-sacrificing you are. You would do the same for him in a heartbeat. There's something you're not telling me."

"Melina!"

Neither she nor Mike moved, able to recognise Jillian's voice without even a glance in her direction.

"I'm going to ask you again Mel," Mike asked calmly. "Tell me what is going on, or I'm going to be forced to tell Jillian about John calling me in hysterics two nights ago at 3am. You know how she gets when she hears the slightest bit of gossip. She is going to be all over her like a rash."

Tears that had stopped flowing before she had left the car began to well again in the pit of Melina's eyes at the thought of John hurting, especially at her expense. "He was crying?"

For the briefest second Mike's eyes showed the smallest hint of compassion. "He's devastated. He doesn't know what he did wrong Melina. He loves you."

"Marley!"

Jillian was closing in, the nickname she had for her best friend reverberating around the cap park as she drew closer to the pair. Melina's collected composure was quickly giving way to the confused and broken woman she was becoming. Mike stepped closer toward her and she flinched, immediately raising her arm to prevent him from touching her. He froze at the expression of pure terror on her face, misinterpreting her actions. Her posture was rigid, ready to attack if necessary.

"Okay, okay … You don't have to tell me," Mike said quietly, realising he needed to back off. "I just don't get it. What happened between you two? You were the perfect couple. I don't believe that you just woke up on morning and decided to stop loving John. You're one of the most passionate people I know and when you love, you love selflessly. That spark in your eye, the one that makes your face light up when you see or even speak to him, that's still there. It might be buried deep, but you can't deny you don't love him. You're lying. I'm sure of it."

Her breath caught in her throat, heart racing. He was right. She was a terrible liar, and an even worse actor. She was sure that by now her face was a picture of guilt. Of course she still loved John. She always had and she always would. For her to pull this off though … she needed Mike to believe her. She had to make sure he thought she absolutely loathed John … even if it killed her to do so. "Look, Mike," Melina bit off frostily. "It's none of your business. People fall in and out of love all the time. I can't explain it. I don't love John. I don't want to see him. I don't want to talk to him. We're done. Case closed."

"But-"

"We're done," She reiterated harshly. "John and I are through. Finished. Done for. Spread the word to your floozies, you've got your bar buddy back. He's welcome to screw Barbie or whoever the hell he wants."

"You don't mean that."

"I do." Melina's scathing tone vanished as Jillian bounded up to them eagerly, throwing her arm's around her friend's neck. Mike scowled as he turned to leave, already dialling a number on his cell. As far as he was concerned, this was far from over. If he couldn't get the truth out of her, perhaps Jillian could. "Jill!"

"Marley!" Jillian squealed back excitedly. "I can't believe you're here! It's so good to see you!"

"I know," the former Smackdown wrestler replied wearily. "I can hardly believe it either."

Jillian stepped back to examine her friend in the same fashion Mike had done earlier, categorically filing away her observations. Something was very, very wrong here. "Mel, honey, have you been…" She glanced at Mike, who adamantly shook his head 'no' warningly. Changing tack she grabbed Melina's hands tightly and gave them a quick squeeze. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Melina fibbed unconvincingly. Lying to Miz was one thing. Lying to the one person on this roster who probably knew her better than anyone was another. "How are you?"

Deflecting the question Jillian focused her attention on the woman in front of her. "How's John?"

"I ... I don't know."

"Oh." Spreading a wide smile across her face, Jillian gave her friend another tight hug before blatantly dragging her toward the building before she had a chance to object. "Let's go and get a drink, shall we?"

Mike watched them disappear into the throng entering the building as he waited impatiently for the person he was calling to answer their phone. John had asked him to take care of Melina and let him know when she had arrived at the arena. It was a conversation he was dreading, yet a necessary evil. He had been by John's side the last time these two had had a falling out and it hadn't been pretty. John would probably be hanging out for this call.

So why wasn't he answering his damn phone?

Chris Irvine flipped his left indicator on as he merged lanes to exit the hallway and head to the arena. Raw was being taped tonight a town over and Smackdown was scheduled for an early afternoon house show, it being school holidays and all. Glen snored softly in the back seat of their rental, a sullen John Hennigan slumped in the seat beside him. If Chris had had his way, he would have been backstage at the Raw taping right now. Stephanie had left earlier that morning. They had spent a blissful week together in Connecticut before they had been forced to separate. He had begged her to blow Raw off, saying she was going to absent for the next month or so anyway. Would one extra week matter? Stephanie had simply scoffed, rolled out of bed and thrown her clothes on. It was bad enough that she would subjecting her Diva's to an extra three weeks of her brother, she refused to do it tonight as well. Aurora's surgeon had suggested that Stephanie take time off to stay home with her daughter instead of dragging her along on the road while she was recovering. Aurora was Stephanie's world. She wasn't going to disagree, even if it interfered with her work. That was one of the things Chris loved about her - she was stubborn as hell.

The last week had been incredible. Not having to worry about being caught, being able to express their physical attraction on an intimate level. Their first night together had been no different than their furious hook ups in cleaning closets and locker rooms years earlier. The fire between them still remained. He was as in love with her now as he had always been.

Call him crazy - and many would, had they known exactly who he was snuggling up against at night - yet he knew she was the one for him.

He loved her just as she loved him. Even if she hadn't admitted it out loud yet.

"Are you going to answer that?" A gruff voice cut through the tense atmosphere of the vehicle and roused Chris from his musings. "It's been ringing for damn near ten minutes already."

Chris's eyes darted to the side, locating the source of the noise as John's cell sitting on the dash. Huh. So that's what that annoying noise was. He'd figured that 'Love to Love You' by No Doubt had simply been background music to his Stephanie induced fantasy. Apparently not. "John, either answer the damn thing or turn that shit off!"

In a single fluid movement, the Intercontinental Champion reached forward, rejected the call and slumped back in his seat. Seconds later the snoring started up once again from the back seat, Glen having shoved his ear plugs back in in the event the phone started blaring again. Chris snorted and turned his focus back to the road. This wasn't exactly standard operating procedure for him. When he could get away with it, he travelled with Jay Reso, or Christian as he was better known, or he travelled alone. He had nothing against John or Glen. This was Stephanie's idea, not his. She had known that John wouldn't be in the best frame of mind following Melina's move to Raw from Smackdown and had asked him to keep an eye on the younger man. Chris, thinking he could kill two birds with one stone, had been naïve enough to ask Glen to join them in the hopes they could hash their crap out. Heck, he'd even been prepared to play referee if necessary. For the greater good, yeah? Not so much. This was quickly shaping up to the worst road trip ever.

For his part, he hadn't expected John to show up fresh off the plane with eyes so bloodshot he looked completely stoned.

He figured his friend was hung over.

Upon closer inspection, he realised John's eyes were red from crying. Fresh batches of tears were spilling down his cheeks intermittently as they hired a vehicle, packed their luggage away and begun the long drive to the arena. Once Glen had fallen asleep, things had gotten worse. John hadn't felt like he needed to hide anymore and had simply let loose. His nose was running, hair limp with at three day old fuzz lining his chin.

Chris sniffed the air as John's phone began to ring once more.

Gross. Hennigan needed a shower, too.

"Are you going to get that?"

The silence was deafening.

"I'll take that as a no," Chris muttered, reaching over blindly to grope for the phone and answer it himself. Pulling over to the shoulder of the road he took the call without even bothering to glance at the display. "Hello?"

John stared blankly out of the passenger seat window as dozens of cars accelerated and passed them by. For a split second he wished he was in one of those cars. It didn't matter where they were headed.

It had to be better than the place he was in currently.

"Hey Mike. It's Chris, how's it going? Yeah, not bad thanks. What can I do for you?" Chris shot a quick glance sideways. "He's here. No. No, he's … ah … he's asleep." John's eyes closed in thanks, relieved Chris wasn't going to make him talk. "You wanted to let him know that she had arrived. Is she okay?" John's head spun as fast Chris thought it might actually snap off, eyes flying open instantaneously. The 'she' in question was obviously Melina. "She's fine," he quietly assured John covering the receiver with his hand. The younger man sighed with evident relief, knowing he was going to owe Chris big time for this. He hated Miz as much as Melina did. "Thanks for letting us know. No, I didn't know they had had a fight. She said what?" John cringed. He was in for it now. "No, I don't believe that either," he glared at John. "Look, Mike, I have to go, I've pulled over on the side of the road. If you ring us back in like an hour, we should be at the arena and John will be awake. Okay. I'll do that. Bye."

Without another word Chris restarted the ignition and drove right back into the fray. John fidgeted, knowing that he had two options. He could either start the conversation or endure Chris's version of the silent treatment which ultimately made you cave and start talking anyway. Chris had that kind of affect on people.

"Thanks for talking to Mike," John muttered, discretely glancing over his shoulder to make sure Glen was still asleep. He was. "I know you don't care for him."

"No, I don't," Chris replied without hesitation as he weaved through traffic. "But I do care for you and I do care for Melina. I know sometimes it doesn't seem like it but I'm not a complete asshole. What happened?"

John smiled ruefully. Straight to the point. Just like Stephanie. Don't think that for a second their little interlude had escaped John's attention. He had heard Stephanie's hysterics intermingled with Melina's tears. He was glad for them both though. He didn't begrudge Chris his happiness. "Stephanie told us Melina was being moved back to Raw. Melina told me she didn't love me anymore."

The GPS system squawked, letting them know their destination was close. Chris shut the device off without removing his eyes from the road for a second. "Do you believe her?"

He swallowed. "No."

"No?"

"Not for a second," John whispered softly. "I know Melina. The second she said those word's something inside of her snapped. We flew back to Los Angeles the next morning together and she cried in my arms the entire way. We got back to the apartment, she packed her things and left for her Mom's."

He remembered it like it was yesterday, as opposed to almost five days ago.

"_Melina, baby, you don't have to do this." John pleaded with her as she tossed her things into her bag. "I love you. I don't care about what you said, I know you love me too. Whatever you're going through, tell me, we'll get through this together."_

_Melina had frozen as those dreaded words had tumbled from his mouth. She had known he wouldn't believe her. She could fool her friends, try and fool herself but she couldn't fool the man she loved. He was right. She loved him more than ever. "I have to … I have to go," she had murmured brokenly. "I need to … I have to leave John."_

_He embraced her from behind before she had a chance to escape. "Wait. Just ... I'll let you go, I swear," he had breathed hollowly, his voice sounding as empty and devoid of emotion as her undoubtedly blackening heart. "You can go … but you need to tell me something first."_

_A lone tear slid down her cheek as she spun in his arms. She could never deny that man anything. "One thing," she choked. "That's it."_

_His arms loosened around her, one hand lifting her chin and forcing his eyes to meet hers. She swallowed, nervous. She knew what he was about to say, yet she let him do it anyway. "Tell me you love me," he said quietly. "Before you go, tell me you love me. I know there is something you're scared of, something that's made you afraid and for whatever reason you're trying to protect me. That's it, isn't it?" She failed to answer, but the glimmer in her eye confirmed his suspicions for him. "Something is making you do this. You've been on edge for weeks baby, did you not think I had noticed? Answer me Mel. Tell me who it is."_

_She blinked, tears flowing freely now. "I can't … I can't tell you, I need you to …"_

_Melina was panicking, stumbling over her words as she sucked in big breaths of air, trying desperately to remain in control. "Ssssh," he assured her, kissing her temple. "It's okay. What can I do, there has to be something-"_

"_-No!" His girlfriend blurted out before she could stop herself. "Just … I need space, I need to figure this out, I need … I need you to stay away from me and I need you to make people believe that I don't love you …"_

_He paused, completely shaken by her request. "Melina … I can't do that."_

"_You have too! I need you to do it, I can't … I won't let you get hurt. You have to trust me John. Do you trust me?"_

_His reply was instant and full of conviction. "More than anyone in the world."_

"_Then you have to let me go," she whispered. "You need to let me do this … I love you … I lied last night, I shouldn't have said that but I needed you to …"_

_Tears streamed down his own face now as her trembling lips kissed both of his cheeks, then his lips, trying to convey everything she felt for him in her entire being into the moment, knowing it was fleeting. She kissed away his tears as he thumbed away hers, clinging to each other for respite. Every fibre of his being begged him not to let her leave, knowing he wasn't whole without her. _

_He knew though, as did she, that he would let her go because eventually, she would find her way back. _

_Her way home. _

_Her way back home to him. _

_Her heart beat restlessly inside her chest, knowing that she was probably making a mistake. Taking on Shane alone could quite possibly be the end for her. Without John, she was nothing. She held his heart as he held her own. This way, she could protect his heart and keep him safe - from Shane, and from herself._

"_You can't tell anyone," she sobbed. "Promise me. You need to make everyone believe what I said. Promise me John."_

"_I …" His brain was whirling with possibilities. He was beginning to get scared now. Was someone after her? Was it Shane? She had been so convinced that he was out to get her ... No. No, it couldn't be Shane. He was her boss. He would never do anything to … It had to be something else. But what? They were together all day, every day. Nothing was making any sense … "Melina, I-"_

"_Promise me," she bleated urgently. "No questions, no arguments. Just trust me. I'll be okay," she swore. "I just need to do this on my own. This is my fight. Not yours. Mine."_

"_I … I don't like it," he admitted in defeat. Melina was stubborn as hell. If she wanted something, and he could give it to her, he would. "But I trust you. I support you and I trust you. Mel, I can barely function without you."_

"_I know." Her eyes were wild, a dimmed sparkle seemingly fighting its way to the surface. "In fact, I'm counting on it."_

"_What-"_

_Before John could continue Melina captured his lips with her own, in what would be their final kiss for potentially weeks, possibly months. Her hands wound her way through his hair, his arms wrapped around his waist as he bent down to accommodate her. Her hand found his, their fingers intertwined as they kissed slowly in the light reflected from outside. They broke apart slowly, her lips finding his forehead as he knelt before her to hug her for what could be the final time. She whispered her farewells against his skin as he traced her curves, willing them to memory. "I love you. I never stopped loving you. I will never stop loving you. I'm yours. No one else's. I will always be yours. I love you. I love you. I love you."_

_Before he realised, she was halfway out the door. _

"_I love you."_

_He responded with the only thing he knew to be true at that moment._

"_I love you too."_

_The front door slammed as he fell to his knees. _

_John Hennigan was a proud man. He didn't like to call attention to himself, or make a fuss. Yet the love of his life had just walked out that door and she had taken his heart with her._

_He should have given a damn. But she hadn't given him a reason too._

Chris prodded John a little further, trying to understand what was going on. "She just left?"

"She didn't just leave, she …" John's voice was raw with emotion. He felt woozy, a little dehydrated from the amount of tears he had cried. Halfway to the car this morning he had finally deciphered one of Melina's messages.

The puzzle pieces were starting to fall into place.

"_Mel, I can barely function without you."_

"_I know. In fact, I'm counting on it."_

"I can't explain it," John continued roughly. "But I know she loves me. I .. I'm not going to let her go without a fight," he adlibbed, knowing he was meant to be acting like a scorned lover. Call it a light bulb moment. Melina wanted him to pretend she didn't love him anymore? He was going to give an Oscar winning performance. Running his hands through his hair he let out a harsh laugh. The despondent wrestler sitting next to Chris in the passenger seat was replaced with a brash young man, complete with a cocky smirk. "But that doesn't mean I can't have some fun in the meantime, right? See some ladies? Get my groove back?"

Chris's jaw dropped. Just second's earlier, John had been miserable. Now, if he wasn't mistaken, he had been taken over by a character reminiscent of the jackass he had been when he had been a member of the ECW roster. "John, are you feeling okay?"Pushing down the extreme loyalty he felt to Melina John crossed his fingers and made a rash decision. She wanted him to be believable. She wanted people to think she didn't love him anymore. How had John acted the first time she had left him for Dave? He had acted out. He had been seen with a harem of different women. Seen, not slept with. Regardless, to help Melina pull off whatever she was doing, whatever she had asked of him, the change in his behaviour had to be extreme. The only way he knew to react when Melina left him was to surround himself with other women … he had no other option. "Just perfect," John replied somewhat confidently. Clearing his throat, he tried again. "Perfect. All I need is a shower and a shave and I'm good to go."

Pulling in to the car park at the arena Chris shook his head, a little stunned. Five minutes ago Hennigan had been absolutely devastated. He wouldn't have been surprised if he had pulled a razor blade out of his pocket and tried to hurt himself. Now ... Now he reminded Chris of the cocky son of a bitch he used to see when he looked in the mirror every morning.

Something was very, very wrong here.

"John-"

"Kelly! Hey, Kelly!"

Glen chose this exact moment to wake up, watching as John bounded out of the car to talk to Kelly Kelly across the lot. His fists clenched as Chris watched with wide eyes, a pit in his stomach as John slung an arm around the blonde's arm and escorted her inside. "What," Glen spat, absolutely seething. "Is that asshole playing at?"

Grabbing his phone Chris began to dial a number he knew off by heart. Obviously, Glen hadn't spoken to Melina and had even less of an idea than he had. "I have NO idea."

Glen growled, grabbing his gear and slamming the door open. "I'm gonna KILL him!"

"Oh geez." A faint voice was heard on the other end of the phone. "Hey Steph. Yes, I know I'm not meant to call you at work. No, I know … but …. Sweetie, would you just let me talk for two seconds?"

Stephanie obviously agreed, shocked Chris's tone. He had never raised his voice at her before. "_Chris, what is it_?"

"I have a MAJOR problem."

"Marley, what's wrong?"

Jillian had managed to order their drinks and hustle them down the hallway before Melina had looked like she was about to fall to pieces again. "It's nothing," Melina shrugged sadly. "I just … John and I broke up."

The blonde gasped. "What? Why? What happened?"

Summoning all of her courage, Melina took a deep breath and said a quick prayer. If she could convince Jillian that she didn't love John anymore, she knew she could pull this off. Jillian was her best friend, but at times she could be a little behind the eight ball, bless her heart. That didn't mean she couldn't see through Melina like a smoke screen.

"I don't … I don't love him anymore," Melina lied, her heart sinking. "I thought that after Dave we could resolve our differences but … I just … I can't be the person he needs me to be Jill," she murmured honestly. That much was true. John needed someone who could be strong enough to stand up for herself and for their relationship. Not someone who hid behind her fears and pushed away the people she loved to protect them. He needed someone who could stand up to Shane and wasn't going to allow themselves to be bullied … he deserved the person she wished she could be, not the person she was slowly becoming. A few weeks ago, she WAS that person. Now, she was letting her guard down, her vulnerability on display. Shane was winning she realised. He was like a cancer, slowly infecting every little bit of her being … it was because of Shane that she had driven John away. It was because of Shane she was lying to her friends … to her family … it was because of Shane that she was stupid enough to think she could handle this alone … and now that she had started this, there was no way she could get out of it.

He was winning … because she was letting him.

"I can't do that to him Jill," she broke into sudden hysterics. The bravery she had exhibited back at the apartment was gone. She was alone now. Glen wasn't here, Chris was gone. John definitely wasn't here, she had made sure of that. Jillian was here and so was Mike but … so was Stephanie. And so was Shane. "I can't pretend anymore. I don't want to be here. I don't want to be with him. I just don't know what to do!"

Jillian tried to stand her ground as Melina threw herself into her arms but the pair ended up falling backward and landing on the floor. "Sssh honey. It's okay. I know it's hard, you must be so confused. I'm so sorry."

"Not as," Melina sniffed before breaking into a fresh round of tears. The enormity of this situation was hitting her hard and all at once. She needn't have worried about having to lie to fool Jill. This breakdown was 100% genuine. "Not as sorry as I am!"

"I know it probably feels like that now," Jillian said soothingly, feeling slightly overwhelmed. "But Mel, it's not the end of the world. It's going to be hard for you to here without John but you have me. You have Mike as well and Glen is only a phone call away …"

"Jillo," The former Women's Champion said exasperatedly. "I just want to go home."

"Well, unfortunately for you and I," a crisp voice interrupted them from the door way, one hand covering her phone. Stephanie was pissed. She had a heartbroken Melina on her hands, and if Chris's commentary of the afternoon's events were accurate, an out of control John, and a murderous Glen. If she had to say one thing about Chris it was that he had impeccable timing. She had already felt guilty about splitting up Melina and John, it was all she could to drop the belt on her when Chris had filled her in. Stephanie had hoped that Melina and John had been strong enough to survive being split up. She hated being wrong. She hadn't forgotten Shane's behaviour from last week either. Lucky for her, after tonight she wouldn't have to deal with any of this melodrama for at least a month. Whatever happened in her absence, happened. "You two have a match tonight. Melina, you're winning the Diva's title. Questions? Comments?" The two women on the floor sat in stunned silence as Stephanie disappeared as quickly as she appeared. "I didn't think so. You're up at the top of the second hour."

"Um .. Thanks?" Jillian called dubiously after their boss as Stephanie vanished, barking orders into her headset as she went. "Stephanie seems … especially abrasive today. I can't believe they're sticking us with Shane while she's gone. Ugh."

"She's just bitchy because Chris isn't here to get in her pants." Melina muttered, sniffling as she wiped her eyes. Jillian opened her mouth to speak, only to be cut off by Melina shaking her head. "Don't ask. You really don't want to know."

"Alright," the blonde smiled sympathetically. "Are you okay?"

A pause.

The events of the last week came rushing back as Melina squeezed her eyes shut and climbed to her feet, offering Jillian her hand. Did she regret everything she had done? Yes. Did that change anything? No. Was she going to go along with this stupid plan anyway? Yes. She had too.

"No. But I will be."

"I think I'm getting too old for this," Jillian declared dramatically as she flopped back into their booth at the club. "Wake me up when it's time to go back to the hotel."

Mike and Melina shared a bemused look over their drinks as Jillian threw back another cocktail. She had been dancing up a storm for the better part of the last two hours with the other Divas in an effort to try and lighten the mood amongst their little group. They had come out with the intention of celebrating Melina's title win, though the Champion seemed to be more depressed than ever. She had been on an endorphin high upon leaving the ring, which had helped fool the rest of the locker room into thinking she was okay. She had seen the rest of the women send sympathetic looks her way. She didn't want their sympathy though. Who knew what stories were circulating the locker room. As long as they thought that she and John were done.

Ironic really, when all she wanted right now was to be at home in John's arms.

"Soon you won't have to worry about it," Mike reminded Jillian. "You'll be an old married lady who can stay home where she belongs - in the kitchen!"

Jillian swatted him on the arm. "Mike!"

Melina turned out as her friends bickered, checking her phone for the umpteenth time. Her title sat beside her on the chair, forgotten.

A victory meant nothing if you had no one to share it with.

"Whoa. If that's how happy you look when you win a Championship, I don't ever want to win another title."

Plastering a smile upon her face Melina looked up to see the concerned face of Edge. "Hey Adam. How's it going?"

"I'm doing alright," the Canadian grinned. Nodding in the direction of her title he pulled up a chair and straddled it backward. She flinched at his close proximity, pressing her back flat against the wall of the booth, automatically put at unease of the presence of an unfamiliar male. "Congrats."

"Thanks," she replied quietly. She and Adam had never been close. He was a friend of John's though, and friends with Chris so she knew he wasn't a bad guy. "It feels weird to be back here."

"I bet it does. You seem to move shows pretty regularly," he joked. "You think you're too good for Smackdown hey?"

"Oh, definitely," Melina replied dryly, feeling a little more comfortable. "Nah, not really. Can you keep a secret?"

Adam leaned forward eagerly, expecting to hear something juicy. "Sure. What is it?"

Leaning forward to meet him, she whispered in his ear. "It's got nothing to do with me being too good for Smackdown. I'm just trying to get the hell away from Jericho."

Booming laughter echoed through their section of the club as Adam processed what she was saying. "I don't care what Chris says," Adam shook his head. "John's right, you're hilarious girl."

A pang ripped through her at the mention of John's name as her phone began to vibrate. "Thanks," she repeated, scrolling down to accept the text message she had just been sent. The hopeful expression on her face turned into broad smile.

_From: John _

_I don't know if I should be sending this is or not but I don't really don't give a damn. You looked gorgeous tonight Mina. I love you and I am so proud of you. Be safe. _

_Still yours, J._

"Is that from John?"

Startled, Melina's head shot up. "What? No, it's um …"

Grabbing his drink Adam stood, taking the chair he had been sitting on and putting it back in its place. Undeterred, her focus automatically went back to the message, clinging to the small part of John she had left. "Hey Melina?"

A small smile still playing on her lips, the Diva's Champion glanced up from her phone. "Yeah?"

"Never regret something that once made you happy."

She saw red. "He rang you, didn't he?" The former Champion faltered, the smile sliding off his face. "And he asked you not to say anything, so you're not going to, right? If you say something Adam, I swear I will hurt you."

"He didn't tell me what happened, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's not what I'm worried about, believe me."

Adam sighed. "He still cares about you, that's all. I've seen too many couples bust up over the years. Don't be so quick to do the same."

"Hey Adam?" Melina asked, eyes blazing. She had had just about enough of this tonight.

"Yeah?"

"I won't." Adam blinked as she snapped her phone shut, shocked by her sudden mood swing.

"Look, I was only trying to help-"

Standing abruptly, Melina scowled and slammed her fist down on the table. "Don't be so quick to judge ME, Adam. It's none of your business and I'd appreciate you telling everyone else the same." Picking up her title she pushed past John's friend and headed across the room and into the corridor. "Excuse me."

"Melina!"

Jillian moved to follow her friend yet could only watch her leave as Mike restrained her from behind. "Let her go Jill. I don't know what is wrong with her and John but I think you need to give her some space."

"But …""Just let her go Jill."

"Congratulations."

Melina spun around, caught off guard. She had taken off down a far corridor, thinking at the very least it would contain a fire exit. "Thanks. Oh." The shock in her voice became masked with absolute disdain as she recognised who it was. "Shane. What do you want?"

His trademark smirk hit her like a smack in the face. He leant back against the wall, effectively blocking her exit. The club was dark, the pulsing vibration of the music matching the throbbing desire he felt for the woman standing before him. "I'm not allowed to congratulate you?"

"No. You're not. In fact I'd prefer if you got the heck away from me," She spat, trying to disguise the trembling in her voice with whatever strength she had left. "I know what you're doing."

"Oh? And what is that?"

"You want to fuck me, right?"

Shane was caught off guard momentarily by her blunt response. "Oh please," he recovered quickly, waving her words away. "Don't flatter yourself."

"Don't try and bullshit me," she countered. "That has to be it. You've had every woman that's walked through this place. Not to mention a lot of the men, I bet. I'm the only one you haven't managed to score with. It would explain a lot."

"See, that's where you're wrong," Shane shrugged. "It's not just that. I mean, it's part of it. Of course I want you. But not yet. You're still too … determined? Stubborn? I don't just want to fuck you Melina. I want to dominate you. _Break_ you. _Control _you. Therein lies the challenge," he winked condescendingly. "And now, with John out of the picture I don't imagine it will actually be that difficult."

A chill ran up and down her spine. This man was dangerous. He was a picture of calm, yet his words held a certain malice that made her blood run cold. She responded the only way she knew how without resorting to violence. Sarcasm. "I can't _wait_ to see you try."

Sauntering forward, Shane firmly gripped her chin. Frozen, she was powerless to stop him as he licked his thumb, tracing a path down her neck until it dipped into her cleavage. He began to breath heavily, his Adam's apple quivering with excitement. Every instinct inside of her screamed out to her to run, begging her to move yet her legs felt like jelly. "Oh Melina," he purred. "I'm to enjoy every single, delicious, minute of this."

A shadow fell across the hall, blocking the strobe lights from dancing along the wall. "Melina? Are you down here?"

Shane launched himself back to the other side of the hall like he had been burnt. The hulking figure in the doorway headed toward them at great speed as Melina frantically gasped for air. Seconds later, they were joined by Dave Batista, Melina's former flame eyeballing Shane with great scrutiny. Turning to the petite woman he stooped down to her height. "Melina, are you okay? I thought I heard you."

"I'm … fine," she answered grimly, eyes downcast. "Can you call me a cab please? I need to get back to the hotel."

Frowning at Shane the behemoth of a wrestler turned back to his ex-girlfriend and nodded agreeably. "Sure. Do you need me to get Jillian or call John or someth-"

"No!" She cut him off, before composing herself. "No, Dave. I just want to get out of here. Please."

"You got it. Let's go."

After depositing Melina into a cab, Dave headed back inside to search for Shane, convinced the Chairman's son was up to absolutely no good. Instead, he stumbled into Adam and Mike, who cornered him near the bar.

"What was that?"

"What was what?" Dave asked nonchalantly as he ordered another round for his table.

"You went outside with Melina, you asshole," Mike narrowed his eyes. "What the hell are you playing at?"

"Nothing. I found her near the back with Shane, she looked slightly rattled. She asked me to call her a cab, I did, I put her in it, I came back inside," he explained coolly. "Problem?"

The pair glanced at each other, not trusting Dave yet not being able to disprove his statement. He had described exactly what they had seen, at least the end of the scenario anyway. "No," Adam replied icily. "But we're watching you."

Dave laughed and feigned a shudder. "Oh," he mocked. "I'm so scared. Now, if you don't believe me, I need to get back to my table. Goodnight, ladies."

Adam had his phone out and the number dialled before Mike even turned around. "What are you doing?"

Knowing the history that Dave, John and Melina had, they were quick to overlook the mention of Shane and make assumptions.

"What the heck does it look like I'm doing?" Adam glared. "I'm calling John."

Please review.


	6. Author's Note Please Do Not Review!

Dear readers,

**This isn't an update. Please do not review this note! This chapter will be replaced by an actual update and you will be unable to review the actual update!**

I apologise in advance, I know I haven't updated this story since September and for that I have no excuse. Beyond working 50 odd hours a week, my laptop dying and life … no, no excuse really. I am sorry. However, when I do update this story, it may not be on this site. While fanfiction dot net is a wonderful site for aspiring authors, it offers little protection to writers who use their own ideas, featuring another's characters, to produce their own works.

I logged on to the site today to back up my work and have found that someone has been plagiarising my story 'Be My Escape'. This is not the first time this has happened to me and I am sure it won't be the last.

Plagiarism is defined on Wikipedia as "the wrongful appropriation, close imitation, or purloining and publication, of another author's language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions, and the representation of them as one's own original work".

The story I am referring to is entitled 'A Not So Perfect Life' by 'UnNamedAngel'. Chapter two of this story features the following dialogue

"_"Baby...You know you dont have to do this...What ever's going on, we'll get through it together...Like we always have." John said as Melina threw her stuff in bags. "John, I have to go..." Melina said quietly as she was walking towards the door, but was stopped she turned around John was holding her hand. "I swear, I'll let you leave...But tell me this." He said. "One thing..." Melina chocked out. "Tell me you love me...Tell me you love me before you leave. I know someone has scared you and you think this is the best way. Right?" He said. Melina didnt answer. "Baby, you've been acting weird lately, did you noth think I havent noticed?" He asked. "John, I cant tell you that..." Melina said quietly. "Mell-" "NO! I need you to stay away from me...And-And I need you to make-make people believe I dont love you John..." Melina chocked out. John grabbed her into his arms "I cant do that...You know I cant." He said. "Do you trust me?" Melina asked. "More than anyone or anything in the world" John answered quietly. "Then you have to let me go, I love you John...I lied last nig-" Melina was trying to finish but she couldnt because tears were running down her face and she was crieng John pulled her closer to him tightening his arms around her waist. "I'll be okay," Melina said. "Melina," John said. Melina looked up at him and before she could say anything his lips found her's, this was there last and final kiss. Melina pulled back eventually she walked to the door. "I love you..." Melina whispered. "I love you too..." He said. She walked down the stairs and John could hear her crieng. She opened the front door and slammed it walking out. Melina didnt just walk out the door, she took a piece of John with her."_

Not only is the grammar deplorable, the spelling disgusting, but this entire section has been lifted from chapter five of 'Be My Escape' as seen below.

"_Melina, baby, you don't have to do this." John pleaded with her as she tossed her things into her bag. "I love you. I don't care about what you said, I know you love me too. Whatever you're going through, tell me, we'll get through this together."_

_Melina had frozen as those dreaded words had tumbled from his mouth. She had known he wouldn't believe her. She could fool her friends, try and fool herself but she couldn't fool the man she loved. He was right. She loved him more than ever. "I have to … I have to go," she had murmured brokenly. "I need to … I have to leave John."_

_He embraced her from behind before she had a chance to escape. "Wait. Just ... I'll let you go, I swear," he had breathed hollowly, his voice sounding as empty and devoid of emotion as her undoubtedly blackening heart. "You can go … but you need to tell me something first."_

_A lone tear slid down her cheek as she spun in his arms. She could never deny that man anything. "One thing," she choked. "That's it."_

_His arms loosened around her, one hand lifting her chin and forcing his eyes to meet hers. She swallowed, nervous. She knew what he was about to say, yet she let him do it anyway. "Tell me you love me," he said quietly. "Before you go, tell me you love me. I know there is something you're scared of, something that's made you afraid and for whatever reason you're trying to protect me. That's it, isn't it?" She failed to answer, but the glimmer in her eye confirmed his suspicions for him. "Something is making you do this. You've been on edge for weeks baby, did you not think I had noticed? Answer me Mel. Tell me who it is."_

_She blinked, tears flowing freely now. "I can't … I can't tell you, I need you to …"_

_Melina was panicking, stumbling over her words as she sucked in big breaths of air, trying desperately to remain in control. "Ssssh," he assured her, kissing her temple. "It's okay. What can I do, there has to be something-"_

"_-No!" His girlfriend blurted out before she could stop herself. "Just … I need space, I need to figure this out, I need … I need you to stay away from me and I need you to make people believe that I don't love you …"_

_He paused, completely shaken by her request. "Melina … I can't do that."_

"_You have too! I need you to do it, I can't … I won't let you get hurt. You have to trust me John. Do you trust me?"_

_His reply was instant and full of conviction. "More than anyone in the world."_

"_Then you have to let me go," she whispered. "You need to let me do this … I love you … I lied last night, I shouldn't have said that but I needed you to …"_

_Tears streamed down his own face now as her trembling lips kissed both of his cheeks, then his lips, trying to convey everything she felt for him in her entire being into the moment, knowing it was fleeting. She kissed away his tears as he thumbed away hers, clinging to each other for respite. Every fibre of his being begged him not to let her leave, knowing he wasn't whole without her._

_He knew though, as did she, that he would let her go because eventually, she would find her way back._

_Her way home._

_Her way back home to him._

_Her heart beat restlessly inside her chest, knowing that she was probably making a mistake. Taking on Shane alone could quite possibly be the end for her. Without John, she was nothing. She held his heart as he held her own. This way, she could protect his heart and keep him safe - from Shane, and from herself._

"_You can't tell anyone," she sobbed. "Promise me. You need to make everyone believe what I said. Promise me John."_

"_I …" His brain was whirling with possibilities. He was beginning to get scared now. Was someone after her? Was it Shane? She had been so convinced that he was out to get her ... No. No, it couldn't be Shane. He was her boss. He would never do anything to … It had to be something else. But what? They were together all day, every day. Nothing was making any sense … "Melina, I-"_

"_Promise me," she bleated urgently. "No questions, no arguments. Just trust me. I'll be okay," she swore. "I just need to do this on my own. This is my fight. Not yours. Mine."_

"_I … I don't like it," he admitted in defeat. Melina was stubborn as hell. If she wanted something, and he could give it to her, he would. "But I trust you. I support you and I trust you. Mel, I can barely function without you."_

"_I know." Her eyes were wild, a dimmed sparkle seemingly fighting its way to the surface. "In fact, I'm counting on it."_

"_What-"_

_Before John could continue Melina captured his lips with her own, in what would be their final kiss for potentially weeks, possibly months. Her hands wound her way through his hair, his arms wrapped around his waist as he bent down to accommodate her. Her hand found his, their fingers intertwined as they kissed slowly in the light reflected from outside. They broke apart slowly, her lips finding his forehead as he knelt before her to hug her for what could be the final time. She whispered her farewells against his skin as he traced her curves, willing them to memory. "I love you. I never stopped loving you. I will never stop loving you. I'm yours. No one else's. I will always be yours. I love you. I love you. I love you."_

_Before he realised, she was halfway out the door._

"_I love you."_

_He responded with the only thing he knew to be true at that moment._

"_I love you too."_

_The front door slammed as he fell to his knees._

_John Hennigan was a proud man. He didn't like to call attention to himself, or make a fuss. Yet the love of his life had just walked out that door and she had taken his heart with her._

_He should have given a damn. But she hadn't given him a reason too."_

Now, I could write this off as a coincidence. However, the aforementioned story 'A Not So Perfect Life' features the same characters, scenarios, themes, plot lines and conversations as 'Be My Escape'. I realise that there is a finite number of characters within the wrestling realm to use, yet find it hard to believe that 'A Not So Perfect Life' features not only Chris Jericho, the Miz and Kelly Kelly, yet Stephanie and Shane as well? In addition to have Melina and John sent to different shows? Just like in chapter four of Be My Escape? Funny that! 'A Not So Perfect Life' even starts in exactly the same way that 'Be My Escape' does. If you don't believe me, please, read 'A Not So Perfect Life' and see the evidence for yourself.

I have not contacted the author of this story, nor will I be. I refuse to waste my time fighting with someone who obviously can't produce original ideas of their own. I will, however, be reporting this to fanfiction dot net.

I write because I love too. Not because I'm good at it, but because I genuinely want to entertain my readers. Any writer worth their salt would not dare to plagiarise someone else's work. Any decent writer would see a good piece of work as motivation to produce an amazing story of their own. A writer who is simply looking for reviews, however, will stop at nothing it seems to increase the popularity of their story. UnNamedAngel, you should be ashamed of yourself. As a fan of John and Melina for many years, it is not easy for me to write them into such distressing situations. I'm not afraid to admit that I did cry writing the above section. As some of you will know, this story is very difficult for me to write. I'm passionate about my writing and am insulted that anyone would simply take my work and reword it for your own use.

To my reviewers and supporters, thank you. This story will be continued, whether it be on a blog or on another site. I encourage you to stick with me. The fun really is just beginning, I promise. John and Melina's story is far from over.

You guys are amazing. Without you, this story would not be written. I will try and update as soon as I can. In the meantime, feel free to send 'UnNamed Angel' your thoughts about her story 'A Not So Perfect Life' and the uncanny similarities it bares to 'Be My Escape'

Much love,

H.


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